Seniors: we are reading excerpts from Beowulf and gaining and understanding of Anglo-Saxon culture and values. In my eyes, there are two primary reasons why analysis of Beowulf is critical for a student of English: 1. It provides us with a taste of Old English and a sense of history, thereby giving us a sense of ownership and depth of understanding. 2. Comparative analysis of Anglo-Saxon culture against our own modern American culture opens our eyes to both the virtues and pitfalls of our value system and moral sense.
Consider and respond to the prompt (in bold) and post your essay by no later than Sunday, September 23. You must also offer paragraph responses containing commendations and/or constructive criticism to at least 5 of your peers' essays.
Literature only matters if we can relate to it, if we can connect it to our lives- Beowulf is no exception.Anglo-Saxon values, as presented in Beowulf, are rooted in honor, respect, courage, and virtue (refer to your handout "The Beowulf Poet and his World"). Here in 21st century America, do we hold the same values in such high esteem? If so, where might one find sound evidence of this? If not, what other qualities does our society now promote and embrace? Does our culture promote a value system that is healthy and admirable, or flawed, even destructive? Who are our heroes? What makes them heroic? Be specific.
By Friday, October 5, your second assignment is due: Media Assignment: My Pop-Culture Consumption. Our value system, in many different forms, is reflected and possibly influenced by and through media. This assignment asks you to catalog and analyze your personal consumption of media over the course of a week (9/23-10/1). Look for polls on our blog which relate to this assignment.
Part A: For the week, catalog/chart your own consumption of pop-culture. Consider movies, television, music, advertisements, magazines, the Internet etc.
Part B: Choose at least 2 of your prominent popular culture items to consider through a formal response to the essential questions below.
1. Who is the target audience or recipient?
2. How do the characters/people interact and relate to one another?
3. What values are promoted and held in high esteem by the characters/people and the program in general?
4. If a foreign student were to analyze the source/program as you are, what conclusions might he or she draw about American culture?
5. What is the core appeal of the program? What does one gain from viewing or consuming it?
6. How do the values promoted compare and contrast with the Anglo-Saxon value system presented in Beowulf?
Post both your pop-culture logs and your responses to the questions above. Be sure to look for polls on our blog which relate to this assignment. I will provide you with additional explanation/clarification in class. Check your syllabus for due dates.
Happy thinking, happy writing,
Mr. Kefor
111 comments:
Wow, Mr. Kefor! I'm impressed by the depth of thinking that you're asking of your students in addressing this assignment and by the relevance of it to their lives. And just in case anyone is wondering, you didn't set me up to make this comment-- I mean every word of it.
--Mr.Godmintz
In today's world we definitly exercise honor and integrity, we do in the way we treat others and how we run and act in our everyday lives. Our heroes are people that we look up to and respect and want to learn something from. This can be our parents, a famous athlete, or a friend. I think that we can all make the world a better place by accomplishing our dreams and goals with honor, integrity, and most importantly by being ourselves.
-Lindsay Bailey
When reading Beowulf, I often am drawn to the necessary focus on the role of the hero in our lives and our social consciousness. While our definitions of hero evolve constantly, our need for a hero does not. While I am not personally in need of a hero who can rip the arms off a monster or slay a dragon, I am also uninterested in a hero who can rap well enough to buy lots of bling or one who can get the media to follow them around. I would like a hero who can effect change. I was fortunate growing up to have a grandfather, an uncle and a father who made positive changes in the world around them, who were willing to make stands even at their own peril, and who never forgot to love each day. Those are heroes.
Look around you and think about this, you are all modern day Hrothgars. Who do you look to when things are truly bad to make things right? Who would call for help when things are darkest? Who holds the keys to your bright future? Who do you truly admire? Those are your Beowulfs. I hope you each have a few you can call on when your monsters come out.
In modern day society a hero is without a doubt looked upon as an icon of popularity like on The Hills, who kissed who, who wore what...Also just because Josh Hartnett is eye candy does that really mean he's a respectable hero? Or is the fact that Rihana won a vma worth mentioning her as a hero? Ask yourselves who those are that hold true value in their lives, and contribute to make the world around them a better place not only for themselves but for the people around them. The world, and more specifically this country is obssesed with whats popular, and not so much what is morally respectable. We should all work on that...
Being a huge brute, fighting for honor and a greater glory, living up to your elder’s name, and standing up for what you believe in might have been the values of the Anglo-Saxon times, but today they differ greatly. Today all that matters is living a life of ease. Ease brought only by the amount of money you make or fame you have. Instead of fighting along side your allies for the right to survive, you’re stuck in an on-going competition with every other working person in the world.
You have to struggle to survive in the world today by paying your taxes and bills. In the Anglo-Saxon times, you’re embraced with fighting for a dream to achieve honor and glory. You do not compete with you’re allies; you fight along side of them against your enemy. Everyone joins together in order to overcome odds that when faced alone could not be accomplished. Now people fade away from each other due to
In our society, a hero is made by making a multi-million dollar CD, or entertaining an audience for laughter. Back then a hero is made because they fore fill their duty of defeating the enemy in combat, or by freeing the helpless. Our society is based on money and living easy rather than fighting for what you believe in. You can not find a hero like Beowulf these days. Instead our biggest leader, the president, is criticized on a regular basis.
You should not have to worry about your allies; you’re on the same side. But are you? There are always outer conflicts in other countries such as wars, but inner conflicts which go as deep as individuals; individuals whom have to work harder than the people living to the right and left of them due to our money system. People have to work all their lives so they can live at peace. Beowulf fought for his nation so his people could live an easy life.
Making money and living with no worries identifies our time period. There is no honor, no glory, and no ease. It’s all a money making competition which separates people. Beowulf fights for others, something people do not do anymore, which just shows how much our societies differ.
In America’s current society, many people do not recognize the genuine heros of our time, parents, teachers, and soldiers, but instead the media puts the focus on celebrities and athletes. Here in the 21st century, many Americans do not hold the same values as the Anglo-Saxons did in Beowulf. Their definition of a hero differs greatly from ours today. It seems that our society has forgotten the essential values of heroism; honor, courage, respect and virtue. Instead, the qualities that we embrace are based on what we see in the media. Fame, wealth, and appearance are the most important traits that make up today’s hero, and unfortunately, have replaced the Anglo-Saxons values.
The media has played a major role in molding today’s hero. Heros are no longer defined as “one who puts his life on the line without hesitation, when awesome and destructive forces threaten his society” (The Beowulf Poet and His World), but replaced with the latest movie star, singer, or sports athlete. Children are engrossed with what they see on t.v. and this may be destructive to our culture’s value system. The media is promoting fame and glory and showing kids how to live the fabulous life by becoming a televison icon. However, in actuality, not everyone will be as successful as their idols they see on the big screen. Children are not being exposed to the real heros of our society, the ones who conquer unbeatable odds, but to the superstars who make the most amount of money or who’s picture is in the latest magazine. It seems that we are more fascinated on reading the latest gossip on celebrities and their lives than reading the latest news involving our true heros in the war. The media has certainly mislead our society from seeing what makes up a true hero and who the real heros are today.
Income and wealth has also play a big part in today’s society. More and more people are being consumed into the material world. Everyone now has to have the latest technology and the most expensive accessories. People will not settle for less. It is sad to think that most of our society today judges a person on how much money one has and how they look. More and more people try to be like the celebrities they see in movies or on t.v. From the mansions that they live in, the expensive, foreign cars they drive, to even the latest fashions they flaunt, children are being inspired everyday to be just like these superstars. Children are unable to create a culture of their own and see that it is not all about what brand name you wear or how much money you have. They are attracted to the people shown on t.v. and see them as heros because of affluence and success they possess.
In today’s society, people seem to judge others on their appearance as well. People and children everywhere are reading and watching how they can better the way they look and how other people look at them. No matter where you go, you will see a beautiful, skinny model on a billboard or a handsome, muscular man in a magazine. Because these images are everywhere, our society is drawn to be exactly like them. Everyone wants “the perfect body” and people strive to be looked at as if they were a model. It is a constant battle to be the best and look the best. People are more focused on improving themselves than improving the world. “The values or combat, courage, and tenacity in fighting for one’s king were the most admired virtues” (The Beowulf Poet and His World) in Beowulf’s society. Now, we admire looks, class, and fame. Unfortunately, these are the characteristics that most of us look for in our heros.
Heros today are not really valued like they once were. Whether it be slaying a fire breathing dragon or killing a beast-like monster, all heroes have one thing in common, they’re admired. You do not have to be brave to be a hero or save an entire town from destruction. It is what you believe makes a person a hero, someone you look up to. Many people today base a hero on what they watch on t.v. or how much money they have. If people want to believe that a person who hits a baseball or throws a football for a living is a hero then let them believe it, but I believe that a hero is much more than how many movies they are in and unfortunately, many of the real heros out there are not recognized like they should be.
-Brielle Bowman
Honors, D Class
Lauren Southworth
September 24, 2007
English D
Beowulf Essay
Through the epic tale of Beowulf and his struggles, we get a glimpse of the past and how life used to be. The foundations of society being built on honor, courage, and loyalty were prevalent in all social classes during the time of Beowulf. In 600-700 B.C. Beowulf’s culture revolved around heroism for the men, especially during battles and warfare. “To such men war was something between a sport and a religion: a way to profit, a path to glory-almost a moral obligation”, as scholars J.D.A. Ogilvy and Donald C. Baker point out. Kinship to one’s lord and victory for one’s homeland were the values that the early culture held in the highest esteem. Having respect for their leader and possessing bravery during combat were qualities that everyone strived for.
By reflecting on the past in Beowulf, it only highlights the sharp contrast between the values and morals of our present day society. Chivalry and honor have been replaced over the years with materialism, greed, and obsession with beauty. Today, someone is regarded with admiration if they are famous for their athletic abilities or for the designer labels they wear. Many individuals within our culture are obsessed with their image and how others perceive them. Belonging to either the athletic or entertainment world will bring power and authority. Heroes in our time have gained their stature for frivolous and undeserving accomplishments. This differs from when Beowulf gained power and influence by proving himself worthy and upholding his morals and values.
The heroes in the classic Beowulf included the warriors, those who would willingly put their life on the line in order to protect their family and their country. For instance, Beowulf liberated the fortification of Herot and brought peace and safety to those who lived there. Many idols in the world today have used their money to help more than just their immediate families. Some have contributed to worthy charities and foundations to progress change. For example, Bono from U2 has started the Red Campaign which has brought awareness to serious matters associated with the spread of AIDS in the world and Bill Gates has contributed significant amounts for children’ vaccinations. Athletes and movie stars should be enjoyed by society, however we must not become confused as to whom we strive to become. Our heroes should include the everyday person who just lives their lives unselfishly. Children and adults need to recognize that fame and material objects are not characteristics to idolize. Trying to become the best person you can be does not mean you need to strive for the largest paycheck or run to the plastic surgeon to have some work done. Instead humans need to become satisfied with who they are and ignore the media that tries to persuade them otherwise. Our priorities and values have gone astray and are destructive. The traditional values represented in Beowulf need to be stressed and practiced more.
Beowulf
Brian Bettencourt
There is no doubt that since the time of Beowulf, our morals and values have changed to a degree. We still hold honor, respect, courage, and virtue to a high esteem; we just do not have knights and warriors the way they did back then. Our soldiers are never really seen by the average person, our warriors are always fighting on a distant country, and our knights are kept in bases away from the average citizen.
Our perspective of a “hero” has changed because of this. Athletes have become the new model of what children strive to be. Tom Brady is a prime example. When he is interviewed at the end of a winning game, he always has the honor to stay modest, and the virtue to give his teammates all the credit for the victory. The fans always applaud a player when they respect their opponent and help him up after they knock him over; and we all know it takes a lot of courage to stare a three hundred pound man in the face and know he is going to do all he can to trample you.
The twenty first century is definitely far different from the time of Beowulf, but the beliefs and morals have not changed too drastically. People of today are still searching for riches, but instead of battling a dragon for if, we battle the stock market; instead of fighting for glory and honor, we play sports and the best players become professionals. The ideals of Beowulf’s time have not changed, just the way in which they are achieved.
In modern society, most people value qualities such as honor, integrity, and bravery. However, many do not endorse in these qualities, and simply look for them in others. We are always looking up to others, which brings up another point.
The title "hero" has been thrown around too much, and these "heroes" are often nothing special at all. People look up to others that they don't know at all, such as celebrities, without the knowledge of what that person is really like.
While people like Beowulf may not exist in today's world, there are many that we can actually call posotive role models, such as one's family. Who has helped you when you needed it the most? Usually, the answer will consist of somebody from your family, as families look out for each other and only want whats best for you.
So, instead of looking up to someone just because they're rich or famous, look instead towards the heroes that deserve the title. Also, while having heroes is a great thing, be conscious of the fact that we must also be positive role models to those around us. Perhaps we should all be a little bit more like Beowulf.
-Joe Mitchell
Class D
Beauty, wealth, these are the things that make someone a hero in modern day. These qualities differ from Anglo-Saxon enormously; they value honor, a man’s power and determination. To understand the Anglo-Saxons you need to understand their life style. People show some of the same qualities but then again some people are one hundred percent opposite. While people may never think about Anglo-Saxon values they are still an incredible part of every ones past.
The Anglo-Saxon life values are very simple, be a victorious fighter and you become a hero. To become a strong fighter was the ideal life style, they would train vigorously their whole lives. Anglo-Saxons also value gold and riches but mostly because of the way they are earned. The Anglo-Saxons base their lifestyle on fighting and being a dominant group.
In today’s America we also have some common things like honor and respect. Take a military man for example; he is not getting a huge sum of money.
The modern day military man fights for what he believes in, not to become a hero but to do what is right. He is to most a modern day hero but not really a person many would list as a hero. We also try to respect others and ourselves but that’s a hard thing to determine because my level of respect may be different from yours.
We also have many people in modern America who do not show honorable qualities or have respect. Take the average person and ask them who their hero is, you would hear things from Britney Spears to Randy Moss but never a soldier. How many soldiers with the Purple Heart can the average person name? One, Pat Tillman, a former NFL player who died for his country. So what makes a modern day hero, is it someone that is popular with kids or is it someone who you don’t even know the name of serving our country? To me that’s not even a real question, we have celebrities that we admire but they are nothing compared to a soldier who is taught the real virtues of Honor and Respect.
Do we in today’s society live by Anglo-Saxon values? Absolutely not. We admire athletes and singers more than a real hero. We care more about the custody of Britney Spears baby than the well being of our soldiers, and we are all guilty of it to some extent. How are the Patriots doing this season, while the real patriots are on the front lines and you never hear about them. So today’s America has no real values of any sort, yes there are exceptions but a majority do not have real a hero worth admiring.
- Justin Bliss
In Beowulf the values that are displayed are honor, respect, courage, and virtue. In today’s world I believe that it is just as important to display these values as it was back in the Beowulf days. I think that here in the 21st century we hold the same values in such high esteem. I feel that if we did not hold the same values then people today would not have personalities, no goals to set for themselves, and everyone would be striving for the same things. One would find sound evidence of this by observing peoples everyday actions.
I think that our culture promotes both a healthy and admirable lifestyle, however at the same time it promotes a flawed and even destructive lifestyle. Many different people have different outlooks on our culture. Several people embrace our culture and live day by day as it follows. On the other hand others frown upon it because of lack of comprehension.
In today’s world many people can be considered heroes. People such as men and women who are in the armed forces, police officers, and fire marshals. They are considered heroes because everyday they risk their lives for people they don’t even know.
-Nadya Kaltsunas
I believe that 21st century America has lost sight of what values
compile a real genuine hero. Our perceptions have been altered by the media
and our culture defines who we should look up to and who should be our
heroes for us. We often envy and admire actors, actresses, athletes, rock
stars, rappers, and celebrities who take up the limelight and seem to live the
perfect lifestyle. I personally hold Brandon Boyd, the vocalist of Incubus, in
very high esteem and I consider him a hero, but not just because he is a
rock star. He also is an environmentalist, a charity founder, and all of the
proceeds of each concert go to the Make Yourself Foundation.
The dictionary defines a hero as a man of distinguished courage or
ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. Although, most
Americans see wealth, beauty, power and materials as important values in our
culture. We often neglect the core traits like bravery, deference, kindness
and forgiveness. Heroes are frequently taken for granted and are not given
the amount of respect and admiration as some of our celebrities are given.
In my eyes, police officers, firefighters, Coast Guard Lifeguards, soldiers,
paramedics, and doctors are all true heroes who display the proper qualities
in a person that make them heroic. I have always wondered why celebrities
reach heroic status by just having a lot of money and fans. It makes more
sense in my head if we were to see multitudes of people chasing after a
firefighter for his autograph or a picture, rather than an actor who maybe
pretends to play a firefighter on the big screen. I just feel the majority of
the acknowledgment is going to the wrong people.
We all have are own heroes who can do no wrong and always have a
special place in our hearts. For me that was my Uncle Mike. My Uncle was
most generous person I have every known and I strive everyday to be just
like him. He has helped make me who I am today, and realize what is
right and what is wrong and how to be an all around exceptional person. I
will always look up to him as one of my true heroes. Tragically, my Uncle
passed away two years ago from a ten month battle with Non Hodgkin’s
Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph system. He was thirty seven years old. My
Uncle has taught me a very important lesson and that is to touch everyone in
one way or another every chance you can because for this already short time
you are on this Earth you could have your life taken away at any moment.
In conclusion, I think that America as a whole has to step back and
look at the bigger picture and realize who the real heroes in the world are. I
think that our value system is not at the point where it is destructive,
healthy or admirable. I think it is flawed though and we need to make
some changes and make our culture respect and admire the people that keep
us safe, not entertained. I myself am guilty for looking up to a rock star,
but I also have the up most respect for all of the real heroes behind the
scenes that make it safe and all possible. I believe that we all should have
heroes, but I also believe that we should distinguish who the real heroes are
and pay them some reverence and let them know how much we appreciate all
that they do to keep us safe.
Alicia Scanlan
The values that are installed in our money driven lives today include power, wealth, and vanity. The things that we valued back in the time of Beowulf were bravery, chivalry, and honor. In today’s world there is less value in honesty, bravery, and chivalry and more in the lifestyles of the rich and famous. We value the beauty and wealth of the celebrities in our society. While those who fight for our country today are considered less educated and therefore have less respect for what they do, while in Beowulf’s time it was the exact opposite. In Beowulf the warriors had the highest type of respect and honor. The people of there time valued all that the warriors represented. In our society we value professional athletes, celebrities, and very successful businessmen.
In society today everything comes down to wealth. And the way to get wealthy is to be pretty, athletic, or know how to run a computer real well. We take the firefighters, police officers, and or soldiers fighting in Iraq for granted, because they are not the people we see on covers of magazines. We seem not to care and it is the truth we don’t, we would rather read something in the magazines about a celebrity break up then read an article about a brave fire fighter who saved a little girl’s life. After all we don’t care about you if you don’t have money. The more money the more interesting your life is to us.
In conclusion in society we are more consumed with the heroes of our fantasy world than we are with our everyday heroes such as firefighters, police officers, and soldiers. Our fantasy world is to blame on the media today because if it weren’t for them then we would not have so much information on the secrets of celebrities. If we didn’t have that then we would care so much more about our real life heroes. Our society is ridiculous, instead of a little boy wanting to be a firefighter we have a little boy wanting to be a big businessman like Donald Trumph.
What Makes a Hero?
Heroes. They’ve always existed. From Anglo-Saxon all the way up to 21st century times, evidence of heroes and their great importance and necessity to society is clear. What’s not clear however is what makes them such. How is it possible to determine an ordinary, everyday human being from a hero? What makes them stand out? Even more importantly, what values do people look for in a hero, and why over time has the image of what a hero truly is changed so drastically? The answer’s easy. It all has to do with what we’re exposed to.
First lets take a trip back to Anglo-Saxon times. It is here that the original image of “hero” came to exist. To Anglo-Saxons, a hero was an individual that displayed values such as honor, respect, courage, and virtue. But that’s not it. To them, a hero was a person who stood out during their times, someone who was willing to put their lives on the line for the good and safety of others. During times where fear seemed to rule the Saxon’s lives, their hero was the person who decided to take that fear head on, and do everything in their power to ease people’s worries. If there were an evil creature, or fire-breathing dragon, like in the story of Beowulf for instance, an Anglo-Saxon hero would be the one who went out and fought and defeated the evil creature or dragon. Their hero was who they looked up to and admired.
Now move on to times during World War I and II. Who’s the hero now? Where before the idea of a hero was largely based around knights in shining armor, the hero during these times appears to be the soldier. Although still closely related to Saxon heroes, wartime heroes are better suited to their time. Their values remain largely the same, but the heroes this time are no longer fighting evil creatures and dragons, but rather human enemies, while fighting to save their country. Wartime heroes are still brave, and courageous like the Saxons, but have become slightly more modernized. Rather than simply being admired like in Anglo-Saxon times, these soldiers who fought for their country are more recognized through medals, plaques, and an entire day devoted to their heroic efforts. Back in Anglo-Saxon times, if you slayed a dragon and lived to talk about it, that was praise enough. However, it’s not until recently, in 21st century times, that the idea and image of what a hero truly is has become so vastly different from the times and heroes before them.
No longer is a hero something like a soldier, or a knight, for unlike the times before it, people would be hard up to name more than five that they actually know. No longer do our values lie in honor, respect, courage, and virtue, but rather in beauty, wealth, sports, and entertainment. Today, in 21st century times, our image and idea of what a hero truly is has been devastatingly distorted. And what it all comes back to is what we’re being exposed to. Through media and other manipulating sources, people are feed who they should look up to. Told that unless you’re pretty, wealthy, and “All-Star”, or entertainer, you’re no hero of theirs. Rather than recognize the common everyday heroes such as teachers, parents, coaches, and many more, society’s eyes have been turned the other way and forced to view such unsung heroes as kind, and hardworking, but nothing even close to heroic. In a society as materialistic as ours, it’s easy to see that our value system is clearly flawed, and if kept up eventually even destructive. The sad thing is, that all it really takes to fix such a downfall is a simple re-evaluation of what a hero truly is. To realize that money, beauty, fame and fortune are not the only makings of a hero. That it takes more then surface values to make a genuine hero. And what’s worse, is realizing what it’s going to take to make people in today’s society see how easy this turnaround could be.
So…heroes. They’ve always existed. From past to present times they’ve set the standards for how to model your life, and just who it is you should be looking up to. But they’ve done more than that. Heroes have successfully mirrored back to us our own values and way of life. What we view as important, or worthy of praise. What a true hero really means to us. So I guess the real question here is…do you like what you see?
-Stephanie Bryant
In the Anglo-Saxon culture, values such as, honor, bravery, and respect were held in high regards but now in 21st century America those values have dissipated into media-run ideals such as how a person looks and how much money they have. The majority of the country is letting themselves become consumed by a money-oriented nation instead of embracing the important aspects of life.
The media subtly controls what we, as Americans, define as a modern hero. It’s impossible to turn on the news and not hear a story about one of the many celebrities doing something out of the normal or even illegal. Our society is so consumed with what’s going on in Hollywood that it even overshadows their own life. Not only do celebrities demonstrate poor choices, such as Lindsey Lohan’s ongoing drug use, but you never hear of the stars wearing clothes from department stores, such as Target. When flipping through a magazine the celebrities are seen carrying Gucci, Coach, and many of the other pricey brand name bags. For this reason, the ubiquitous brands consume peoples (especially teenagers) lives. They think that they must have one of the many brands to be considered admirable or worthy of their peers. However, being admired does not have to be so expensive. In the Anglo-Saxon times, values such as honor and respect determined whether or not a person was admired not by how many designer items they had.
Children in today’s world are growing up with the picture in their head that the only way to become successful is to be like the celebrities that dominant TV. You can be affluent and successful without being on TV but that’s a hard concept to get across to a nation that is so deeply focused on what Hollywood is doing. Therefore, the heroes of the 21st century are no longer based upon traditional morals but rather their popularity on TV. Since our country’s main role models are celebrities and athletes how they act and promote themselves is important. If huge stars like Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton continuously break the laws and, for the most part get away with it, than many young people are going to think its okay to partake in illegal activities. These “role models” should own up to the responsibility and encourage more imperative morals such as honor and respect like the Anglo- Saxons did. If this country continues to buy into brand names, big houses, and fancy cars than we are heading towards a destructive, competitive way of life.
A hero does not necessarily have to be like Beowulf but a hero should be someone that posses ideals that are important to you; whether that hero is a celebrity, athlete, family member, or friend. If people could define their heroes as people they look up to instead of whom their friends or the mass of America looks up to, our society would be better off.
Jordan Penney
Class: D
Rachael Maggiani
Class D
September 2007
Beowulf Essay
In the story of Beowulf, the values of honor, respect, courage, and virtue are held in a high regard. During Anglo-Saxon times, these values were common among the people; as time went on, values began to change. Today in 21st century America, the same values are not held.
Some common values in today’s world include wealth, power, appearance, and material goods. Popular heroes today are not the policemen, firemen, or soldiers who deserve everyone’s respect; heroes are actors, actresses, models, singers, athletes, and even reality show stars. Media today reports constantly on today’s ‘heroes’, and what they do in their everyday lives. War has become second-rate news compared to finding out where Britney Spears went last night, or who Paris Hilton was with at dinner. Donald Trump is held in high respects not for his savvy business ventures or real estate experience, but for the fact that he is incredibly wealthy and dates much younger, beautiful women. Popular heroes are also admired for having ‘the perfect body’. Some of the excellent actresses, who might be of an average weight, are put in the shadow of the starlets who are at a very unhealthy weight.
American culture promotes a value system that is unsound, destructive, and flawed. There is pressure everywhere today to be thin, wealthy, throw extravagant parties, own the best houses, and drive the best cars. Diseases such as anorexia and bulimia are at an all time high, not unlike plastic surgery. Today’s ‘heroes’ are making people go to extreme lengths, because they want to be admired and well liked, just like their heroes.
Heroes today are valued because of their wealth, appearances, and material goods. The real heroes, such as soldiers, are respected, but are not admired as much as the actors, singers, or athletes today. The Anglo-Saxon values of honor and courage are much less important today, and those who are not worthy the title ‘hero’ are now overshadowing the people who deserve it the most.
In modern day America we have different standards and ways of viewing hero’s as they did back in the day of Beowulf. In Anglo-Saxon times heroes were someone that bettered the society and tried to save and help everyone. Beowulf was a man who risked everything to save the community, which made him a hero. Today we have soldiers risking their lives everyday to try to help and save our country yet they do not get has much praise as they should.
Today in America we view singers, athletes, and actresses more as heroes than we do our firefighters, soldiers and police officers. This is because our society is based around who has the most cars, or who has the biggest house. We all want to know what’s going on in each of these celebrities lives and care more about who’s dating who, and who’s pregnant again rather than who’s getting killed because they are trying to help the country. People turn on the news everyday but even the news is about all the celebrities, and when it does come to the war and the soldiers people have either already changed the channel because they already found out what they wanted to, or they will watch the 2 minute overview of what’s going on in the war. Everyone knows about Lindsay Lohan and her drug addition, going to rehab, and her anorexia, but does anyone really know any of the women and men’s names over there fighting.
Personally I would like to say that I do look to our soldiers, doctors police officers, and firefighters as heroes, however I find myself looking up to these celebrities. I don’t agree with who is considered a hero but living in this day of age that’s how it is. Ask an average American how their favorite teams doing this season and they could tell you in a heartbeat, but ask how our soldiers are doing and they probably could not give you an answer. Of course there are exceptions however the majority of America does not have the same values as there was in the Anglo Saxon times.
-Kellie Hansen
Beowulf Essay
Value is the foundation of how much something is worth or what an item means to a person. The idea of an image alters throughout any time period. As time passes everything’s value either increases or decreases. In the story Beowulf, the characteristics of a hero portrayed by the Anglo-Saxons were focused on honor, respect, courage and virtue, but in today’s society those values are important but there are new traits that today’s media seem to focus on more with a completely different basis on what is a hero.
Today’s heroes are not fifty year old dragon-slayers or the man that stays put when everyone else runs away. The modern day hero is the man that can throw a ball 90 miles per hour, a man who can hit that ball 350 feet, a girl who can sing and dance on a stage, or a woman that hosts a talk show so house wife’s have something to watch at three o’clock. People admire athletes because it gives them the hope that one day they can do what these athletes do, or even the possibility that one day that could be their kids. Others admire the singer because they think that she is beautiful, and they wish they only had a voice like her. Talk show hosts are loved because they give viewers that warm feeling inside when the person whose house burned down gets a new one built for them. Sadly there are heroes that are not portrayed as heroes by our culture. For instance, the widow who raises three children on her own working two jobs because her husband died is not on the television getting an interview, but the man that stomped a goose and five goslings to death at Texas Instruments makes front page in the newspaper. The Anglo-Saxon people pictured their heroes very differently from the way today’s society portrays a hero.
In the 21st century Grendel no longer lurks the night time looking for people to devour, there are no dragons to slay, and the respect and trust of Wiglaf is not the basis of an icon that everyone admires from the television. People are not judged by our culture on courage or respect, but the topic of conversation is instead always about how much money someone has, or how beautiful someone looks, what brand a person is sponsored by for their batting gloves, or what new style of clothing a person is wearing. The media is what generates the “new hero” or the “fallen star”, but sadly the media is not always right. The value system that the media promotes is definitely flawed because the people who are becoming heroes now will do whatever it takes to become successful. Some people starve themselves so they are as skinny as the girl on the television. Others steal clothes from stores so they can wear the same clothes as their idols in the magazines. The difference between the Anglo-Saxon heroes and our own is bigger than Bill Gates’ bank account.
-Jeff Moore
Block D
In our world today, everyone’s perspective of a hero is much different than those of the Anglo-Saxon culture. People today regard a hero as someone they wished they were, and someone they emulate with their everyday actions. A hero should not be regarded as someone who can act in a movie or sing a song, but for someone to be considered a hero is a privilege. They must better the world around them and help out others and not just themselves.
Anglo-Saxon culture deals with a hero being someone who could kill a monster and save an entire village, which is definitely enough to fit the role of a hero. While in our modern day life a hero can be a rapper who breaks the law and gets away with it. As you can see, times have changed and our perspective of a hero is much different, but the world we live in has also had a drastic change. So you can’t say that everyone has to have the same heroes.
Popularity and wealth are the basis or contributing factors of which most if not all people select their heroes in our world today. We are forgetting the real people who have an enormous impact on our lives. Policemen, Firemen, Soldiers, Doctors, Teachers, and most important our parents are the people we should be considering heroes. We forget what these people do for us day in and day out and their impact on our lives. Without these people we wouldn’t be able to live in the safe environment we are so lucky to live in everyday. I also think we could all make it without listening to our favorite song or not being able to watch a movie or TV as much as we all do.
I’m not telling you who you should admire as a hero, but I think we all just need to realize who the real important people in our lives really are. Just take a minute and think to yourself who you really think your heroes should be, and I guarantee you will come up with a brand new list.
-Eric Olson
Katie Adler
English D
Beowulf
In every culture, society, and civilization, there’s always people that stand out amongst every one else. What makes these people higher then all the rest? Why do we put these people on pedestals and call them our heroes? As we read Beowulf, we see that he is labeled a hero for his strong courage and virtue, and it makes us think, what makes us label someone as a hero today, in this century? In our society today, a hero is portrayed as someone that you look up to. It’s someone who we want to follow and be like. Like Beowulf, we have the heroes who are respected for their bravery and courage. We thank those men and women, who risk their lives every day, in order to protect others. Soldiers and anyone who works to help others will always be our heroes.
Unfortunately, along time has passed, and our morals and values have changed. It now revolves around wealth and status, not just the men and women fighting. The media influences society each and every day. Young children are exposed to the athletes, and celebrities who live a so-called perfect life. For children and even adults it seems as though those life styles are what you should strive to have. We put these singers, and basketball players as our role models. To be a hero, is now not just to save a life or to perform a heroic action, it’s to have or to be the best. For example, our society revolves around money. Most everyone’s dream is to be rich. If you have money, you have “everything”. Now in the 21st century our values and our expectations have changed, our focus is no longer on one individual, but on a group of individuals who all have some aspect that we as a society can look up to. I personally feel that this change is not something to better our society; it’s a change that is creating us to be someone we’re not.
Katie Adler
English D
Beowulf
In every culture, society, and civilization, there’s always people that stand out amongst every one else. What makes these people higher then all the rest? Why do we put these people on pedestals and call them our heroes? As we read Beowulf, we see that he is labeled a hero for his strong courage and virtue, and it makes us think, what makes us label someone as a hero today, in this century? In our society today, a hero is portrayed as someone that you look up to. It’s someone who we want to follow and be like. Like Beowulf, we have the heroes who are respected for their bravery and courage. We thank those men and women, who risk their lives every day, in order to protect others. Soldiers and anyone who works to help others will always be our heroes.
Unfortunately, along time has passed, and our morals and values have changed. It now revolves around wealth and status, not just the men and women fighting. The media influences society each and every day. Young children are exposed to the athletes, and celebrities who live a so-called perfect life. For children and even adults it seems as though those life styles are what you should strive to have. We put these singers, and basketball players as our role models. To be a hero, is now not just to save a life or to perform a heroic action, it’s to have or to be the best. For example, our society revolves around money. Most everyone’s dream is to be rich. If you have money, you have “everything”. Now in the 21st century our values and our expectations have changed, our focus is no longer on one individual, but on a group of individuals who all have some aspect that we as a society can look up to. I personally feel that this change is not something to better our society; it’s a change that is creating us to be someone we’re not.
John Cunniff
English D
Beowulf Essay
Who are today’s real heroes?
The foundation of Anglo-Saxon values was derived from honor, respect, courage, and virtue. Today, many people hold the same values as the Anglo-Saxon’s once held, but not in such high esteem. Rather, Americans of today put wealth, beauty, athletics, and entertainment ahead of Anglo-Saxon values. In the story, Beowulf, known to have been composed in the early 8th century, Beowulf is a true hero, whose values lie in courage and honor. Everyone looks up to Beowulf, and praises him with respect. In our value system, however, many of our “heroes” are often not true heroes.
Our culture promotes a value system that is flawed. A value system should be consistent, and include values such as integrity and respect. However, our value system is based on inconsistencies. In today’s society, our leaders are often viewed with disrespect. In order for a society to come together and flourish, it is essential for leaders to be looked upon with honor, much like Beowulf. Our value system is not destructive, but wealth and beauty are not the healthiest values that a culture should be promoting.
The majority of Americans define their heroes as professional athletes, rock stars, or actors. A hero is defined as a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities, though. Roger Cram believes that “We all need inspirational heroes as role models for our lives, businesses, and family values. Unfortunately, today's heroes are often sports figures, celebrities, and rock stars whose lives are laced with controversy as well as frequent appearances in our over-crowed courtrooms.” Cram is exactly right. Heroes are not just famous entertainers. They are parents, who sacrifice so much for their children so that they can go farther in life, and soldiers, who fight everyday to keep the freedoms that all U.S. citizens possess. Some people may not consider parents heroes, because they are just regular people like everyone else. They are more than that, however. They provide opportunities that older generations could not even imagine. Soldiers, also, are controversial heroes. Most Americans do not know the soldiers individually, yet they still consider them heroes. While there are no more characters like Beowulf in today’s world, there are heroes who give so much just for the love of their country.
Throughout the story of Beowulf, Beowulf is portrayed as a hero when viewed by Anglo-Saxon values. Today’s society would be more balanced if our heroes were also portrayed through these views. With a value system flawed as our culture promotes, it is difficult to have heroes so admirable like Beowulf. Here in twenty-first century America, our society simply cannot bear to hold the same values as the Anglo-Saxons.
John Cunniff
English D
Beowulf Essay
Who are today’s real heroes?
The foundation of Anglo-Saxon values was derived from honor, respect, courage, and virtue. Today, many people hold the same values as the Anglo-Saxon’s once held, but not in such high esteem. Rather, Americans of today put wealth, beauty, athletics, and entertainment ahead of Anglo-Saxon values. In the story, Beowulf, known to have been composed in the early 8th century, Beowulf is a true hero, whose values lie in courage and honor. Everyone looks up to Beowulf, and praises him with respect. In our value system, however, many of our “heroes” are often not true heroes.
Our culture promotes a value system that is flawed. A value system should be consistent, and include values such as integrity and respect. However, our value system is based on inconsistencies. In today’s society, our leaders are often viewed with disrespect. In order for a society to come together and flourish, it is essential for leaders to be looked upon with honor, much like Beowulf. Our value system is not destructive, but wealth and beauty are not the healthiest values that a culture should be promoting.
The majority of Americans define their heroes as professional athletes, rock stars, or actors. A hero is defined as a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities, though. Roger Cram believes that “We all need inspirational heroes as role models for our lives, businesses, and family values. Unfortunately, today's heroes are often sports figures, celebrities, and rock stars whose lives are laced with controversy as well as frequent appearances in our over-crowed courtrooms.” Cram is exactly right. Heroes are not just famous entertainers. They are parents, who sacrifice so much for their children so that they can go farther in life, and soldiers, who fight everyday to keep the freedoms that all U.S. citizens possess. Some people may not consider parents heroes, because they are just regular people like everyone else. They are more than that, however. They provide opportunities that older generations could not even imagine. Soldiers, also, are controversial heroes. Most Americans do not know the soldiers individually, yet they still consider them heroes. While there are no more characters like Beowulf in today’s world, there are heroes who give so much just for the love of their country.
Throughout the story of Beowulf, Beowulf is portrayed as a hero when viewed by Anglo-Saxon values. Today’s society would be more balanced if our heroes were also portrayed through these views. With a value system flawed as our culture promotes, it is difficult to have heroes so admirable like Beowulf. Here in twenty-first century America, our society simply cannot bear to hold the same values as the Anglo-Saxons.
Katherine Amara
Morals and values are certainly not what they used to be. It seems as though the beliefs that were important in the past, such as those of the Anglo-Saxon culture, have been pushed aside and replaced with whatever the media chooses to give us. In reading Beowulf, it is evident that the Anglo-Saxon people honored those who demonstrated courage, strength, bravery and loyalty. The way that today’s American culture defines these qualities does not compare to the meaning they once had.
When Beowulf was written, respect went to those who proved themselves in battle. The Anglo-Saxon society admired the men who were loyal to there country, and who were brave enough to overcome their fears and fight at war. These people did not care about looks and fame, as America does today. They valued strength and courage. If they were successful in battle, everyone respected them. In order to be considered a hero, the Anglo-Saxons had to be willing to die and kill for the good of their country.
In today’s American society, people do not value those same qualities. Americans will do anything to get ahead, and for the most part, live based on self-interest. The media places significance on looks, fame, talent, and most of all, money. Unfortunately, people in our society do too. Americans are obsessed with wrestlers, movie stars, rock stars, and famous athletes. Most people will idolize celebrities, not for their bravery or strength, but only because they can play sports well, or because they are good looking. We have a culture that is full of selfish people, who work their whole life for power and success.
Although our society is severely flawed, we do still place some importance on qualities like strength, bravery, and loyalty. We honor the soldiers who are fighting for us overseas and consider them brave, but we do not idolize these people as we do celebrities. We are loyal, but for the most part, it is not to our country. And although we value strength, we usually only recognize it when it is hurting someone else.
The meaning of these Anglo-Saxon ideals has changed dramatically. The American people are addicted to celebrities, money, and power. The men in Beowulf lived life based on bravery and loyalty. The qualities they valued do not mean as much as they used to, and sadly, America lives off what media they see, and what ideas are sold to them.
Brianna Cote
September 23, 2007
Block: D, Honors
America’s Heroes
A hero can be described as a man of courageous ability who is respected and admired for his noble, valiant, and honorable accomplishments and qualities. Hundreds of years ago, such qualities were truly valued. So why is it that in America’s current society these same characteristics fail to be viewed as admirable attributes? Perhaps it is due to the different time periods. But more likely than not, this change in heroic qualities is due to the media. Today’s media puts a major focus on celebrities, athletes, and politicians, thus sparking the current society to admire those that are seen on the covers of magazines and whose names grace every major headline as opposed to those who risk their lives for the country.
The American society is quite familiar with such names as Paris, Britney, and Lindsay, but if someone were to mention the name of a random soldier and their heroic duties, chances are that the majority of people would not be very aware of the situation. People are typically so consumed with the latest jail sentence or rehab stint of young celebrities that their knowledge of important worldly issues is limited. A lot of the media today is aimed towards the younger generations. But by focusing so heavily on such trivial matters, is the media doing the young people of the country a disservice? Many young boys and girls tend to admire celebrities and athletes; however, should the media be promoting such values as lying, cheating, and bad driving practices? Especially because our country is in a time of war, people should be honoring our soldiers, police officers, and firemen who display more admirable qualities such as courage, strength, and honor.Unfortunately, the American culture is not often exposed to these qualities and therefore has quite a flawed sense of values.
In contrast to the chivalrous values of ages ago, the current American society promotes wealth and fame and illustrates a distorted image of today’s hero. Numerous years ago, a hero consisted of such characteristics as integrity, fortitude, and valor. In today’s society, affluence and greed as well as lying and cheating are vastly encouraged and embraced. The media puts the spotlight on many troubled celebrities that are mistaken for heroes and eventually the American society must learn that their current image of a hero is destructive and unhealthy.
In Anglo-Saxon times courage, strength, virtue, and honor were considered to be the defining characteristics of a hero. In our times we consider everyday people heroes.
What makes a person a modern day hero is very similar to what made a hero in Anglo-Saxon times. In some ways heroism is similar, but in other is evidently different.
When a person in our time hears the word hero they either think of a “superhero” or an everyday person.
A hero can be anyone; a mother, a child, an animal, even an elderly person. No one is perfect, but in times of trouble people can find it in themselves to selflessly help in a situation. For example the elderly teacher who was killed at Virginia Tech is considered a hero. He showed how an everyday person has the ability to be a hero. He showed courage, unnatural strength, and virtue. Sure he could have said “forget you kids” and jumped out of the window but he didn’t. For some reason he decided to put his own life in risk in order to save others. In that situation the characteristics of a hero today and that of Beowulf’s time are very similar. There are also instances in our time where a person can be considered a hero; that is vastly different then the hero’s of Beowulf’s time. A person can be considered a hero; not because of super strength or above average courage; but by being a teacher, or being a kind individual. A person who makes a good impact on our lives is considered a hero; not by killing a tyrannical dragon, but by helping someone understand and further themselves, or showing someone that things in life aren’t as bad as they seem.
Our inheritance of many Anglo-Saxon beliefs and traditions does shape our value system of what is heroic, but modern people also value knowledge, kindness, and other attributes that weren’t exactly hero material in Beowulf’s times. Our value system, just like all other cultures, is of course imperfect. Different people interpret the values of a hero in different ways. Some people considered athletes to be heroes, while others believe that the person who is a nature activist has won the right to be called a hero. Being that everyday people are heroes, there are no famous heroes like Beowulf, or Heracles. In our time we recognize that everyone has the ability to be a hero, and that no person is “super” but at the same time every person in their own way is.
In conclusion, although we still hold Anglo-Saxon we know understand that those are not the qualities of a hero.
~David Cooksey~
Class E
Beowulf
I believe that in the twenty first century the values have changed a little from the values in Beowulf. There still is courage, honor, respect, and virtue, but not as much as there was and not in the same places. In Beowulf it seemed that everyone carried those values along with them no matter where they went and did not second guess them ever. Now in the twenty first century people still hold those values, but not wherever they go. Beowulf was a very different time period then now and people had to obtain courage, honor, and respect to stay ahead in that time. If you didn’t have that then you were weak and would not overcome obstacles that would come at you. Yes, those values are viewed today, but they are viewed in specific places and at certain times.
These values are definitely still around. The most known place that they still have a great deal of affect is in soldiers and the U.S Military. The military is the place where every soldier has courage, honor, and respect. If they do not enter the military with all of these values then they are taught the ways of these values. These values are taught, learned, and executed, because the military knows that these values will help you with whatever you do and you need them to be able to stay alive. They also know that when you get out of the military that these values are a lost cause and not everybody in society can obtain them anymore, and that they will help you through anything anywhere. These values are the solid foundation to a good way of living and not everyone can embrace the way that you will look at life with these in mind.
I believe that our cultures value system is some what healthy, but also has some flaws in it too. Our culture and society is not perfect but is not also completely destructive. We show some signs of respect in our school systems here and there, again everyplace is not perfect. On the other side of the argument the destructive side of that is that in some schools there is not enough respect and it is overlooked. Our culture seems to be straying away from the foundation of the values and not looking at them as a good way to live and peruse life through them.
Our heroes could be many people. A hero to someone could be a nobody to someone else. I think the work hero is characterized as someone that can fly or does something absolutely outrageous for the society. To me a hero and our hero’s are the people who are fighting overseas. And not just the generals, and the captains everyone. They are all hero’s because they fight for us to be able to have a free country like it should be and they want to keep it that way. Our hero’s are also believe it or not the major sport stars that we watch everyday. They are looked up at and seen as great people bigger and higher than the average Joe. Hero’s today can differ in ways that are un explainable you just have to look hard to see why they are true hero’s.
Nina Estremera
September 24, 2007
English, D
Beowolf essay
The values held by the Anglo- Saxons were honor, respect, courage, and virtue. Some may say, that these values are still held by society today. However, few people model their lives after them. Society is mainly concerned with things like wealth, fame, and appearance. So much focus is put on material success.
The value system that our culture promotes is flawed, and can be destructive. Anglo- Saxons held the ideals of their family members or warriors of their times. In contrast, the people of the 21st century simply spit back what the media feeds them.
Many people are desperate to become rich or famous, emulating their role models. They feel the need to be like the actors on television or the models in magazines. They lose sight of what is good for themselves, their family, and their community. Our heroes are athletes, entertainers, or entrepreneurs, because that is what is constantly shoved at us in this entertainment obsessed society. Entertainment is so important to people today, that an actor, from one movie, can make more than an educator will in their whole life.
The definition of a hero has always remained the same; someone who is admired for their qualities or achievements. However, the modern day interpretation of the word is slightly skewed. An Anglo- Saxon might think a quality to admire is courage, possibly during battle. Whereas, a modern day American might think an admirable quality is wealth. Heroes are only representations of a society’s ideals. Perhaps, we should take a step back and reconsider ours.
The values of America in the twenty first century are comparable to Anglo – Saxon values. The values system relates to the religions that people followed in past times. Heroes are perceived in different way depending on the way a persons upholds their values.
America supports the values of honor, respect, and courage. When we think about the tragic events that occurred on September eleventh we think about these three values. Honor is something we find within all the men and women who risked their lives to save others in this horrific accident. The soldiers in Iraq hold the courage to fight to keep America free. Americans in society are the individuals who show the respect of what a true American can be. The story behind today’s war is better than the fight that is going on. Just like the Beowulf poet described, “battles with mysterious monsters are more fascinating than battles between tribes.”
Our culture today supports a value system in many positive and negative ways. To those human beings in other countries who are not lucky enough to receive the freedom Americans do look at our country as being a healthy and admirable place to live. Everything in modern society has a flaw in it. In my opinion nothing is ever perfect so there for, there is a flaw. These are not always bad. They can be positives aspects in life. They push some one to be better and reach their highest potential. This can create a leader, who can make the world a better place. In the twenty first century peoples values were founded by what religion they were. Even now some people follow that path but not as many and as strongly as in the past.
Heroes can be defined in many different ways and can have many different standards. People who have significant accomplishments in life are heroes. For example, the soldiers in Iraq, a family member, a best friend, a significant other, a person who puts themselves before others, and even yourself. A hero is someone who is admired. Beowulf was a hero in the novel because he was the defender of civilization; that is not a true hero today.
Alyssa Ruta
9/24/07
English D
John Cummings
English D
Beowulf Essay
In the 21st century, heroes are among everyone, walking down streets in a city, and sitting in a house with a family. These heroes don’t necessarily have mysterious powers or amazing strength, but live life like any other ordinary human being. Some heroes are classified as high class like singers or professional athletes. However, the values of today’s heroes have altered greatly compared to the Anglo-Saxon’s values of a hero.
The Anglo-Saxons viewed heroes as great warriors. These warriors had honor, respect, and many other respectable qualities. In today’s day and age, heroes are not necessarily heroes of war. Today’s heroes are classified as heroes by their way of life. Many jobs in the world are classified as heroic jobs. Many people consider fire fighters and police officers as heroes. These are people that go to work everyday to try to protect our lives by putting their own lives at risk. Another job that is classified as a heroic job is the Army. Soldiers are looked upon by most citizens of society as courageous heroes protecting their rights as citizens. Now, these heroes do seem to have the familiar traits that the Anglo-Saxon’s considered heroic. These are the few jobs that can be compared similarly to that time. However, there are many other people in the world that are considered heroes as well.
Firemen, police officers, and soldiers are just a few of the many people considered heroes. However, there are some heroes in the world that are created by the media and different values. Singers are considered to some people as heroes. Elvis Presley was looked upon by almost every rock and roll fan as a hero and king. The reasons for this were his musical lyrics and the image that the media put on Elvis. By promoting Elvis in newspapers and the television, fans were obsessed with this icon and adored him greatly. Even now, many people look upon singers and groups like Snoop Dogg, Aerosmith, and many others as heroes due to the image the media and other people have given them. The media can control who is and is not a hero in many cases at any given time. Many Americans watch TV or listen to the radio and are so easily influenced by the words coming from the various programs. This can be very dangerous in many ways. However, as long as Americans can stay in a good state of mind and can think for themselves, than heroes can truly be good heroes.
So what is the definition and image of a hero today? The image could be anything from a young man helping an elderly person cross the street from a teen pop or movie star making millions of dollars. In many cases, the values of a hero have changed since the Anglo-Saxon time. But the similar values of honor, trust, virtue, and bravery are still present in the present day.
The Anglo-Saxon's, in the poem Beowulf, cultural values place a very high importance on the warrior and heroic values. The society revolves around a leader and going to war. The warriors loyalty towards their leader, usually a king, is very strong and they are always willing to fight. When compared to our cultural values, our society seems in a way to be pathetic. Our society does not respect and honor the people that we should.
In some ways we do hold the same values when it comes to our soldiers going to war. Our soldiers have the same loyalty as the Anglo-Saxon warriors. The soldiers are willing to fight to defend our country and risk their own lifes. When it comes to our society admiring the soldiers, it is not the same. Most people admire and follow athletes, actors, and singers who haven't done anything that important to or for our country. Yeah they do provide entertainment for all of us but they aren't risking their lives to save us. Our country is more worried about the material things than the things that actually matter in life. We care about how big our house is or how fast our cars go. We care about the way we look and being the most popular out of all your friends. I do believe our country promotes a value system that is flawed because we should be honoring our family, parents, friends, teachers, soldiers etc. Our society can learn a lot after reading Beowulf because it makes us really think about the things that we most care about in life.
In twenty-first century America our system of values and morals shows no resemblance to that of the Anglo-Saxons. The society in which we live in today pays little attention to characteristics such as honor, respect, courage, and virtue. No longer does society base its opinion of someone on their courage. Today a person is judged on material possessions and financial status. Anglo-Saxon beliefs found it imperative for their prominent figures and heroes to have outstanding character and morals. Today, heroes in our society are the celebrities and wealthy whom the lower and middle class citizens attempt to emulate.
In our society, heroes are the people who drive the most expensive cars and have all of best of every available commodity that our world has to offer. Yet the idea of a hero being a person who is brave, honorable and thinks of others far before thinking of themselves seems to be an ideal that has been lost over the many years since Anglo Saxony. People who have the morals and values that would make them a hero in Anglo Saxon times, go on living private, quiet lives without ever being acknowledged by the greater public. Yet at the same time, Paris Hilton makes a videotape of herself and her friend doing inappropriate things, and she becomes an international celebrity and a hero to young girls everywhere. If our society took the time to assess our system of values, we might realize how entirely skewed our values truly are.
In a society with a market economy like that of America’s, there is always going to be a sense of competition. People are taught to do what ever they can in life to acquire the best things that society has to offer. In this type of society there is little emphasis placed on Anglo-Saxon values. A con of living in a society such as America’s is the forfeiting of a nation wide sense of community. Anglo Saxon heroes were people who fought for their community and its beliefs. America’s heroes are those who have become the most wealthy or “successful” in our extremely competitive natured society. The discrepancies between these two sets of values are major. Yet, without changing our entire economic system, it is nearly impossible to believe that we could have the same values that the Anglo-Saxons did.
Josh Kirkpatrick
9/24/07
English D
First off, Johnny Ricca is better than that for posting his double spaced. Now here's my essay
John Todd
An issue of national, as well as international, concern that is of importance to me is human’s tendency to conform to mainstream America’s perspective of a “successful” person. We as Americans are bombarded by the television, radio stations, and magazines with constant status updates of “celebrities”. Society has become engulfed in what they think is the lifestyle they should be living, causing the majority of the emotional distress across the country. There is not a single state, or a single city or town for that matter, which doesn’t have at least 1 teenager or adolescent who has been poked fun at for the way that they dress. Just because they don’t dress the way T.I. does in his new music video, or Halle Berry on the red carpet. This is just a small example of the issues T.V. media and celebrities have embarked on our country.
In addition to creating false images, teenagers as well as young adults feel that they need to be unnecessarily thin to feel attractive. Models in the magazines create eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, and vastly change eating habits, or lack thereof. The majority of the young women, and men, who feel as though they need to lose weight, are actually perfectly healthy the way they are. To a certain extent, I feel it is appropriate to blame the “celebrities” themselves. They are fully aware they have adoring fans that look up to them. Despite this, they create an image that their fans attempt to emulate, which includes being thin. However on a different note, it is their lives and they can do what they please with it. They have the right to dress how they want to dress and eat how they want to eat without being judged just like anyone else. Please do not get the wrong impression; I am not trying to take anything away from the hard work and dedication it took for most of the celebrities to get where they are today. As opposed to Paris Hilton, who is famous for being skinny. I am simply saying that society needs to focus on their own lives and stop trying to live the way people on the television live. The musical group Incubus states, “It’s time to step away from cable train, And when we finally see the subtle light, This quirk in evolution will begin, To let us live and recreate”. I am guilty of this conformity myself as well. The creation in new fashion trends results in the destruction of celebrities.
The fallacies seen on television and heard on radio stations completely invade the privacy of celebrities. The lack of personal space causes them to fall into insanity and become victim to drug addictions. I cannot think of one famous person who has not had an emotional breakdown, gotten in trouble with the law, or gone through an addiction at some point in their careers. Lindsay Lohan, the innocent little girl from The Parent Trap, has been in and out of rehab twice and has struggled with an alcohol addiction all while she was under the age of 21. America needs to step away from Entertainment Tonight, stop invading other’s lives, and live your own. Paparazzi should be completely ashamed of themselves for making money at the expense of others. In my eyes, it is equitable to selling your soul to the devil for riches.
In today's society we dont promote such values as the Anglo-Saxons did back then. The values that modern society promotes is all about the materials we have attained along with how famous one is. The values that were promoted back then as in 'Beowulf' were strength, honor, and courage yet in todays society it has changed drastically. The hero's of today would be about who has the most fame and money which includes celebrities and athletes. Society should be looking up to those who put their lives on the line and have such traits like courage and strength. We should be as a society look for traits like the one's Anglo-Saxons valued back then instead of looking up to how rich a person is, and how famous you are.The people we admire and idolize today are those who have acquired the assets we wish to attain not because they are good and moral people, but because they have the life style we want. This makes us look up to those wealthy, and famous celebrities/athletes which is why these are the traits we value in modern society. If we look towards the media they are the ones that are setting these celebrities and athletes as the hero's of today by putting them all over the television. Our culture does promote an unhealthy value system which we should change.
--James Kellogg
The poetically written story of Beowulf, written by an anonymous author around the year 1000 AD, is about a Geat warrior, Beowulf, who defeats two fearsome, ferocious monsters. In this time period, brave, valiant people like Beowulf were considered heroes. Today, however, most people’s view on what a hero is has changed, in both negative and positive ways.
Many of today’s younger girls when asked who they looked up to or whom they viewed as a hero would answer with the name of some Hollywood star. People like Britney Spears and Colin Farrell, who some may call their ‘idol’ or ‘hero,’ are very different from Beowulf, because while Hollywood stars may sing a few chart-topping hits and star in some blockbuster films, very few of them commit heroic deeds as Beowulf did; however, people like Jennifer Garner, of 13 Going on 30 and Catch and Release, and Chris Martin, of the band Coldplay, do dedicate time and energy to heroic causes concerning those less fortunate than them. This shows that although it may be somewhat worrisome to know that the youth of America may be learning poor behavior from some famous entertainers, there are also some very positive influences in the world as well.
Another difference between today and the time of Beowulf is that we view children and teens as heroes sometimes as well, especially survivors. For example, one of my personal heroes is my little cousin CJ. CJ was born with downs syndrome, and was recently diagnosed with leukemia, which children with downs syndrome are more apt to contract. Moreover, after doing blood work for the leukemia, it was also discovered that CJ has celiac disease, meaning that he cannot eat wheat. Although all of the adults around him were concerned, he certainly was not. CJ, who is now in remission, did not act any differently than he had when he was not sick, and was happy as ever, especially when he finally got to come home. I believe that sometimes innocence is viewed as heroic. Sometimes, when children, like CJ, are young and innocent, they do not know as much and therefore are not as paranoid and worried as people are, as they grow older. Furthermore, I view children like CJ to be heroes because no matter what they always seem to find the glass to be half full rather than half empty. Anybody who can be that optimistic in such times is a hero in my eyes.
In conclusion, although today the term ‘hero’ is used with a wider spread of meanings than it was in the time that Beowulf was written, in the general scheme of things, a legitimate hero is somebody who does deeds worthy of idolization. The one group of people, however, who are viewed by many somewhat the same as Beowulf was viewed, would be the soldiers in the marines, navy, air force, etc. fighting the war against terrorism even today. They are the valiant warriors of our time. “I love the man that can smile in trouble, then can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection.” These words, written by Thomas Payne, define what a hero truly is.
Society today does in fact have its heroes. Contrary to Beowulf, our heroes seem to be classified by their occupation rather than name and personal information. In Beowulf there were few heroes who were renowned throughout the country for their valiant deeds and courage. Now a day, we have heroes but the title is very general compared to how it used to be.
In my mind a hero is someone who is doing something that is not required of them, but rather it is a choice that they made. The heroes of today consist of those who are here to protect and fight for us. We regard the fireman, soldiers, police, marines, and airmen as our elite. It is a shame that our society doesn’t notice the individual actions of these men and women. This mainly applies to our armed forces due to the fact that the brave deeds our fire and policemen undertake are usually only spread on a local scale. When it comes to personally knowing a hero in our troops, most of the time it comes down to them being either part of, or of some relation to their family; or a national figure such as Pat Tillman, a pro football player turned soldier. Seeing as our heroes come from careers that revolve around risking one’s life, an honorable and courageous task; it is safe to say that we share many of the same values as the Anglo-Saxons before us.
The vagueness of hero today is all too great. The members of the armed forces, fire departments, and police departments may exhibit the qualities of a hero, but in reality how many heroes can we have. Years ago this word was the word of all words. Heroes were few and far between. Society today uses this word too loosely; it seems to have lost all of its meaning. And that is something that will most likely never change.
Ryan Kok
English D
Brian Finney
English D Honors
To some extent as children, we dreamed about a Beowulf fantasy, and held it in high esteem. Little boys dreamed of being a chivalrous knight and girls dreamed of having that knight. Now, if you asked them, the girls might choose glamorous Hollywood starlet or gorgeous model, the boys babe-magnet rock star or rich athlete, who’s a player on and off the field. Admiration and value for honor and courage have been replaced by a desire for good looks and mucho dinero.
Beowulf is truly heroic; he is courageous in the face of danger, he is virtuous in a world of sin, and he is, above all, respected as a man of honor and value. A knight such as Beowulf can be compared to a modern-day soldier, and even though we may not agree with violence and war, a soldier deserves respect; however, how does society treat the military of today? Most of us don’t agree with the war, and we seem to care little about the soldiers, the honorable men and women, who serve in it. What about choosing to join the military? A young adult tells his or her parents “I’m joining the army”, and on the whole, family is shocked, upset, and sometimes even appalled. As a society, as much as we usually won’t admit it, we don’t support our troops.
In a society centered around the media, it seems logical that our heroes, our role models, the people we look up to, are celebrities, in all their beautiful and wealthy glory, and the truth is, I’m guilty of it, too. In today’s world, it’s all about how pretty your face is and how much money is in your bank account. For example, we all love Laguna Beach and The Hills; they’re our fake reality television guilty pleasures, but the show is really just about gorgeous rich kids and their petty problems, yet the show has millions of viewers and makes millions of dollars. However, the true problem lies not among the celebrities, but among us, the average people. We allow these people to be our heroes; we let them be above us. Paris Hilton is one of our favorites--I love her and thinks she’s hilarious--but she is really just this pretty rich girl who thrives on the media’s attention, and we love her even among all her scandals and irresponsibility; it almost makes us love her more.
The values of society have changed dramatically; we used to value a man who risked his life for others, where as today all we care about is ourselves, and use other people as a form of entertainment; the value of human life has fallen in value, and it’s a shame; just look—our biggest guilty pleasure of today is reality tv, which we take pleasure in the lives of others, and more pleasure in others misfortune. We have become a society will values, or perhaps lack there of selfishness and schadenfreude. We no longer want to grow up to be real heroes, like a fireman, a police officer, a doctor, a soldier; we just want to be rich and famous, and that’s all that seems to matter anymore.
Most cultures today in the world have a lot of the same values. Many that they value are honor, respect, courage and virtue. Although different cultures have the same values, they may not exactly look at them the same way. Here in 21st century America has many of the same values as the Anglo-saxons did but they are valued in different ways.
The Anglo-saxon vales are greatly showed in the poem of Beowulf. He was a hero to them, he showed honor, respect, courage and virtue. When times were bad and there was an enemy killing off all the people f the area, Beowulf gathered up his courage and fought the enemy. Beowulf was a leader, a hero to te Anglo-saxon that they showed loyalty to. To these men, war was a path to glory and Beowulf was their hero.
Today in the 21st century, the values are still the same, yet the heroes do not show the same qualities. The values are still the same in peoples’ minds yet they do not treasure them the way the Anglo-saxons did. The soldiers who are in the war fighting the enemies should be the heroes of today’s society, yet they are not. Today’s world looks up to famous athletes and celebrities as their heroes. Why do we look up to them this way? These athletes and celebrities are known throughout the world for what they do, always in the papers looking good but they do not show honor, courage or virtue. Half of them are not even good people, they do drugs or they are alcoholics. Our culture has the wrong mindset of what a hero really is.
The American cultures’ idea of a hero needs to be changed. People need to start thinking about the real qualities a hero should have. We do not promote a healthy value system at all.
Jennifer O'Brien
Society Changes
Here in the 21st century we do have similar values but they’re not expressed as strong. In the Anglo-Saxon society they probably had similar values they just wasn’t expressed enough to become noticed. In today’s society its our values are almost the opposite. In today’s world most people expect you to do good in school to get good grades, go to college and get a good job. Back then it was to be brave, train and fight for you’re county or king. That is what was expressed the most back then, yet still there was kids going to school to learn it just wasn’t a top value in their society. Our society would frown on that no a days because people now a days want money, so the value in fighting went down and we went to have the value of education over that. I believe one of the bigger reasons this happened to change our society is because of the media, it can change the view on something you thing that you believe in just like that. Just say you liked KFC chicken, then you see something on the news on how they torched the chickens and kill them to process it, you may never want KFC again. In the Anglo- Saxon period there was none of that. It was all in an invisible book "The honor Code" it was not written it was expressed. Honor, respect, courage, and virtue were what men lived by back then. They were to train and fight in battles if their country went to war. Men would die for their king just like people in the army will die for our country. Our solders today are considered Hero's yet they aren’t recognized as much or promoted as much as they should be. Today people only care about what’s on T.V, education, and material items. Today anyone can get famous, if they get promoted right. Back then the only way you could become famous if you won many battles and led men into battles, it was based on honor. Today you can be famous for almost anything, you can be rich, have a TV show, even set a world record and you don't need honor to be able to do that. In today’s society there are many type of kinds of heroes. A man who invented the artificial heart to save lives, people in the Army or someone who devote his or her time to helping others. In Beowulf people followed him into battle because he was strong and brave and he proved it during his time killing Grendel and the mother. Once 50 years passed though he because weaker, his heart was still strong and he was brave. Yet when it came time to fight the dragon and when Beowulf needed his men the most they bailed on him expect one of them who had a family and still fought to defend his king. I believe that he was considered a Hero he risked his life to save another. He had honor, respect and courage. In our society when Pat Tillman an Ex- NFL football player for the Arizona Cardinals join the military and was killed I believe he was a hero. He risked everything that he had even though he was set back home could have anything he wanted, risked it all on the line to defend his country. People still wanted to be "remembered" in all the countless centuries yet to be, and here by the honor code we lye Our society truly has changed a lot, the values now are the opposite and expressed differently, yet they still exist in our society just not as strong as they use to be.
Lindsay Tilden
September 23, 2007
Period D Honors English
In the tale of Beowulf, the character Beowulf is represented as an epic leader who upholds the heroic values of the Anglo-Saxon culture. In today’s society there is a vast difference in the type of heroes we look up to. Due to the more complex life style we lead today, there are varying levels of heroism in our society. Within these levels are also many different values, each holding importance, although some much more than others.
The life lead by Beowulf was one of the simple necessities of survival. The world he lived in stressed the importance of courage, war, and honor. His bravery and loyalty was revered by his people. Today we have many different types of heroes, most of which are differ greatly from Beowulf. They range from the most insignificant and superficial like celebrities, to the most important and influential like great leaders to even our own family and friends. To many people heroes can be actors, singers, and athletes. Although some celebrities do deserve their credit, there are many celebrities who are supposed to be role models that should definitely not be seen as heroic. Their destructive behaviors are constantly in the headlines, exemplifying exactly what a hero is not. They set a horrible idea of what it is to be famous and looked up to. Unfortunately their somewhat superficial qualities are what make them so prominent in people’s lives. The values of wealth, appearance, and success dominate this part of our lives. In this respect our values are significantly different from that of Beowulf’s.
This is not to undermine the talent of the more deserving celebrities, but more so put into consideration their achievements in contrast to that of some of the real heroes. The real heroes are the ones that truly make a difference in your life and in life in general. This could be anyone from your parents to the countless faces you see fighting for our country on TV every day (in support of the war or not, we still should honor and respect them). With these heroes we still hold some of the qualities that were thought highly of during the time of Beowulf. Loyalty, friendship, bravery, and many others are all thought to be good qualities and signs of a hero, but they are overshadowed by the mass media and other outlets that consume our lives.
Adam Hart
Class
September 23, 2007
Angelo-Saxon V. Today’s society
While reading the ancient manuscript of Beowulf I discovered something stunning. I discovered that the Anglo-Saxons were unlike today’s society. Everything about them seems different. Their values were much different from most of the people in the American society we live in. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.
The Anglo-Saxons were fierce and noble warriors and they thrived off of battles and had great anguish towards their opponents. They would fight with whom ever they cared to because they would do it for the thrill. They didn’t value such things which are valuable today. These titans valued their fellow warriors whom won each battle. They thrived off of slaying their foes. They see the winners of battles as strong role models. They also valued and consider their king as a role model; many of their epic battles were fought for their king and their kingdom.
Today people are not exactly like the Anglo-Saxons when it comes to values. Today our values seem lower then those of the Anglo-Saxons. We value material items we don’t even have a reason for the values of some of theses things. We are greedy and only want items which are popular and new so we can flaunt them off to others as if the owner is better than anyone else. We don’t really look up to a king or a kingdom for one simple reason which is we don’t have kings or kingdoms anymore. The closest we have is the president and many people attempt to mock the president and his ways. Some people consider the thought that heroes in society today are celebrities. I say this because it seems as if every other day we here news on celebrities weather it is good news or bad news. It just seems like the news always revolves around them. But there are some positive roll models in today’s society such as police, fire fighters, soldiers, and other public figures.
I am not going to lie but my values do not really differ from what I think most Americans values are today. I am a greedy person who values money and materialistic items. I don’t think that I am superior compared to anyone because I may have money or valued items; I personally just enjoy having new items and cash on hand to spend on random items. I do enjoy hearing about celebrities in the news and to be honest I don’t know why I enjoy it but I just do. I think the only difference I have with most people is I do not look up to police, fire fighters, or soldiers although I do respect them for their services but I don’t look up to them or pity them because they risk their life everyday. I am not a cruel person I just see it as no one made them chose their line of work which may be a little risky to most people. They do their jobs and they knew what they were getting into when they took their job. I also think if they took those jobs as their careers they should not do it for the glory they should do it for the passions.
I suppose that both societies have their similarities and their differences. It’s true if you really think about it. Each society has their greed weather it is for possessions or fame. Both also want wealth and thrive to be affluent and will stop at no cost. Each group has role models and people who help serve their land. The only major difference in the two societies is the time period span.
Keith Kelleher
September 23, 2007
English D
In the society we all live in today, most people seem to have varying values. Some people value sports and celebrities more than anything else. This is shown through the millions of dollars spent on sports and advertisements every year. As much as I do enjoy my sports and celebrities, I do not model myself after these individuals. They are not what will keep America going strong for the rest of its existence.
The people that will continue to uphold the things that truly are valuable in life are far different than the celebrities we see on the television. They are not the ones that are getting paid millions upon millions to do their job every day and they do not live like celebrities. I personally believe that the real heroes and the real people that should be valued are our soldiers. I know that some people do not agree with our military, and they have their rights to not agree with what our military does sometimes, but those people are not the ones fighting for a better future. Our soldiers selflessly enlist, knowing that they will be put in harm’s way. They sacrifice family and friends to protect the true American values, like courage, pride in one’s country, and honor. Those are the core values that our country instills in our American soldiers. Who wouldn’t want to possess such great values? As long as there are American soldiers on Earth, there will be great people who possess these qualities and can pass them on to later generations.
Eric Olson
-commenting on 5 other essays
Courtney's Essay
-I like how you used examples, that students could really connect to. I also liked how you opened and closed your essay. The beginning told us everything you were going to write about, and the end wrapped it all up in a good way.
Mr. Dewar's Essay
-I enjoyed reading your essay because it really gave me an idea of what this assignment was all about. It let people know what was expected, and it served as momentum starter. I also liked how you used characters from the story and connected them to our modern day.
Adam's Essay
-I liked Adam's essay because it gave a good background of Beowulf. If someone had not read the story then reading Adam's essay would give them a good idea of what the story was all about.
Justin's Essay
-I liked how Justin compared and contrasted Anglo-Saxon culture and modern day culture. He gave good examples of how they are both different and similar. I also liked how he opened up his essay with his topic sentence.
Johnny's Essay
-I liked Johnny's essay because it had good details, and was written very well. He really displayed what Anglo-Saxon culture is all about. The only thing he needs to work on is learning how to post something that is not double spaced.
YOUR BETTER THAN THAT!!
In modern day society, our values differ from that of Anglo-Saxon time. Then, heroic was measured by how well someone could fight or how brave they were. Beowulf was a hero because he was willing to risk his life to save others. The more monsters he killed, the more he was a hero in his kingdom’s eyes.
Values of today have changed drastically. Some people would claim that they admire bravery but, honestly, if someone was looking a magazine and had to choose between an Iraq War article or one about Britney Spears’s drama, they would probably choose the one about Britney Spears. Society admires talent and popularity, more than it does bravery. People have become selfish and consumed with appearance and status, over the centuries.
The value system that our culture promotes is not a healthy one. Recently in that last century, I think it has become destructive. At least in World War 1 and 2 soldiers were admired and everyone had a duty to join the army or they would be disgraced. Now, people are so absorbed with their lives that they don’t care about saving others lives or their country unless the threat is immediate.
When you think of the things that Britney Spears does everyday and compare it with a soldier, there are no similarities. How can people look up to someone who probably doesn’t even know you exist, never the less care, when soldiers fight for you everyday and give up every thing? Its not people’s fault it’s the media and society. To be happy, you are supposed to have wealth, popularity, beauty, and other superficial things. Maybe the stars have all those things but look at how mess up their lives are from it. To change society’s views on heroes would take years and years, but people can admire what they want, even if it’s shallow.
Jessica Nartowicz
English D
Kelly Hanson- Enjoyed reading the essay, and the emphasis that you put on how we should respect soldiers more. I also liked the part about how the news has also conformed to show celebrity gossip instead of things that matter. overall good essay
Courtney- Thought that it was short and to the point, but at the same time, sent more of a message in about a paragraph than most did in 5 paragraphs.
Brielle- Really liked reading this! It sent the same message that most of us wrote about, but i specifically like the way you described things ... such as using the phrase "conquer unbeatable odds". It's obvious that you put effort and thought into the paper.
Dewar!- Liked reading the response...especially because you involved your own life rather than describing American culture as a whole.
Lauren Southworth- I personally thought that essay was phenomenal. Had great vocabulary, and was well written. I also liked how you involved history in the introduction. Really good essay.
Alright to start off, Eric your right I'm better than that.
Brian's Essay:
Brian's essay was short sweet and to the point. I liked it because it had a lot of truth behind it and he didn't try to bulk it up with unnecessary information.
Kellie's Essay:
Well, where to begin...just kidding. I liked how you compared Beowulf to real life and showed the comparison between the story and what is going on in the real world today. I also learned something I didn't know in your paper. I had know idea about Lindsay Lohan and her drug addition, is she really good at counting drugs?
Eric's Essay:
Wow Eric!! I thought your paper was very well written. I am very impressed, I took your advice and just made a new list and you are not on it...IM BETTER THAN THAT.
John Todd's Essay:
John great open sentence, it really exploded off the screen and set the mood for your paper. Great use of vocabulary and transitions. But I have a bone to pick with you. Stealing quotes out of your friends profile's and putting them in your paper, you're better than that.
Ryan's Essay:
Kok your paper was very well written. I liked how you went into a lot of detail about the military and how it takes a true hero serve our country. Stellar performance.
~~John Ricca
Britneys Essay
I thought Britneys essay was really good. I liked how she compared the values of the two different time periods. I also thought that her concluding sentence was really good.
Courtneys Essay
I liked how Courtneys essay was short yet it got to the point. I also like how she used modern day examples to help further explain her point. I thought it was very well written.
Jens Essay
I thought how Jen gave Beowulf background information was good incase someone was reading the essay who have not read Beowulf. I also thought her introduction was good.
Adams Essay
I thought Adams essay had some really good points. I also thought it was very well written and liked how he gave background information on the poem.
Mr. Dewars Essay
I enjoyed reading Mr.Dewars essay. I thought his points he made were really good, and it really helped me write my own essay.
Kellie Hansen
Comments on essays
Respond to 5 essays
Mr. Dewar
- I liked your in depth answer and examples. Also you used an extensive vocabulary and I respect that. You related to things such as rappers and celebrities and that makes it easy to relate to as a teenager in today’s society. I liked the fact that you brought a piece of your past into it to make it more personal for the reader.
John Ricca
- I enjoyed the wide variety of people we admire. I was not a fan of the use of Mr. Boyd just because it is contradicting of the rock star admiration. I like the fact that you say heroes are taken for granted and I believe you are correct. The list of heroes is also respectable and I want you to know your better than that for double spacing!
Kellie Hansen
- You used good references from Beowulf and that made your essay more in depth. You used a good amount of people who are heroes and reasons why we view others as heroes when that’s a façade. I like the reference to sports teams and how they are doing compared to a soldier.
Eric Olson
- The way you began your essay was majestic, with your personal definition of a hero. I like how you go on about how people should be privileged to be a hero and not just because you’re good at a sport. Your last paragraph was amazing, it really makes me want to sit and think about it.
Ben Hastings
- I like how you talk about soldiers have all the Anglo-Saxon values and that not everyone has lost them. I like how you stay impartial to both sides and say were not that bad but we are not good either. I like how you say there are a lot of hero’s you just have to look for them.
Justin Bliss
Brianna- You definitely got the message out that the media is putting special emphasize and focus on our celebrities, like many of us wrote. I liked how you used specific names of people who the public seems to be more fascinated with than out own soldiers who are America’s true heros.
Katherine- I liked how you put in that people in the Anglo-Saxon society would not even be concerned with the looks, and fame our society seems to focus on today. I enjoyed how you compared the two societies and how much different they have come to be now.
Rachel- I enjoyed reading your essay because it speaks the truth about society today. Your wording and comparisons to certain celebrities show us how we’ve basically destroyed our value system.
Steph- As usually your essay was very long haha, but it gets right to the point by saying how heros have always existed and how now we are blind to see who really are today’s heros.
Jeff- You got the right idea in your essay. I liked how you used comparisons with characters from Beowulf and as usual, you ended your essay with a witty remark which unfortunately is true in our current society.
-Brielle Bowman
Honnors D,Class
Adams Essay
I thought Adams essay was really good. I liked how he expressed the main points on the vaules of Beowolf and how you can really see the differences in todays society nad back then.
Dewars Essay
I liked how Johnnys essay was short yet it got to the point. I also like how he used todays society and the people who are init "US" as the people and searching for our Beowolfs.
Johnnys Essay
I like how he expressed his ways on how the society really has changed, and the values from in the Anglo- saxon peroid.
Courtneys essay
She did a good job on keeping it short and to the point. She expressed things we can all relate to.
Ryans essay
I like how he expressed on how there are many types of heros in todays society and that there was only a few heros back then.
Josh Spilewski
Comments on Essays
In modern day America we do hold honor, respect, courage, and virtue in our values but only to a certain degree. However they greatly differ from the way we use them from Anglo-Saxon until this modern day. In modern day America, we do not have heroes like Beowulf. Here in the 21st century, our heroes are athletes, musicians, actors, actresses, and celebrities. This is completely different then what Anglo-Saxon was getting at through the story Beowulf.
Our value system is very flawed if we are looking up to celebrities, athletes, and musicians. Honestly, what have they done that makes them a hero? Singing and acting is not a hero. Heroes in my mind are everyday people like police men, firemen, doctors, and soldiers. These people are just doing there job and putting there life on the line to help others. Athletes and celebrities do not do this. All they do is give America entertainment. We may consider them heroes but they are not even close. Everyone one in this modern age likes to consider celebrities and athletes heroes because it gives them someone to look up to. Everyone is guilty of this to. We would rather hear about Jennifer Lopez’s pregnancy over a soldier, who is in Iraq and cannot see his baby be born because he is fighting in war. This is completely different from Beowulf
Personally, my heroes are my parents. My father is a firefighter and paramedic here in Norton. He works 48 hours a week, saving peoples lives. He does this because it is his job, not because he wants to be a hero. He also has another job, like 48 hours a week isn’t enough, he also works landscaping. He does this to support our family. My mom is also my hero. She has taught me right from wrong and how I should live my life.
----Zack Schleicher
P.S. I did do this on the night it was due, But I don't think it went through.
Courtney’s Paragraph- I thought that Courtney’s was a little short but right to the point, which I liked a lot. I like how she threw in people from modern time to support her paragraph. I also liked how she ended her paragraph.
Justin’s Essay- I liked how Justin’s essay was very on topic. He used some good examples of people in modern times and how they compare to Anglo-Saxon times. He made some really good points.
Johnny’s Essay- I thought that Johnny had a really good essay. I like how he went into the point about his hero and his uncle. It was very well written.
Eric’s Essay- I really like Eric’s essay. I liked how he showed what people today think as heroes and what they did back in Anglo-Saxon times. I really thought he had a great concluding paragraph.
Kellie’s Essay- I thought that Kellie also had a good essay. I liked how she said that she also looks up to celebrities because it shows honesty. I also liked her introduction paragraph
----Zack Schleicher’s 5 responses
P.S. - J.T. and Eric are better than that, for saying Johnny’s better that that.
With Lindsey Bailey’s post, I can see how she views our world today. I think she gives our society too much credit in seeing how we have some sort of honor in our lives just like in Beowulf.
Courtney explains that heroes are flawed in these days. Someone who makes a really huge CD or gets an award can be looked at as a hero and it’s not right. I agree, heroes are more than just entertainers. Our heroes today are in Iraq.
Brian’s point was very good. I agree with everything he says. Our heroes have shifted to athletes and our goal is getting rich through the stock market. Goals are basically the same, just achieved differently.
Mr. Dewar’s response really makes you think about your closest heroes and that a hero can be a close friend or family member. Rather than being a celebrity, focus on who can change your life day to day and still have the devotion and love to give you.
Joe Mitchell brings up a good point in saying that not only do we look at heroes around us, but people could look to us as heroes. There could be someone who looks up to you and you may not know it. Saying we should be more like Beowulf says that we should act as a role model for others just as we look for one ourselves.
John Cunniff
Period D
Johnny
I like Johnny’s essay because it was very well written. He talked about who a hero is to him, and who our real heroes should be.
Jordan
I like Jordan’s essay because she talked about how it is important for a hero to possess certain qualities, not just make a lot of money and be on TV. She also used really good vocab.
Cooksey
I like Cooksey’s essay because he showed the reader that regular people, like a mother, can be a hero to someone, such as her child. He wrote that you don’t have to literally be a superhero to be a hero in today’s society.
Adam
I like Adam’s essay because he did a great job of relating Anglo-Saxon heroes to modern-day heroes. Also, he was very honest in his opinions.
Katherine
I like Katherine’s essay because it flowed really well from beginning to end. She did a great job comparing today’s media filled society versus Anglo-Saxon values.
Britt Costa:I thought that her conclusion was great and she had lots of details.
steph bryant:I thought that that the into was amazing because it draws you in to read it.
Mike Glassman:The beginning of the essay has good descripion but i thought the ending could have been better.
Justin Bliss:The whole essay i thought was totally awsome and one of my favorites.
John Ricca:His essay was also one of my favorites because i actually wanted to read it and it was interesting.
Katrina -- Comments on Essays
Jeff Moore - I really enjoyed Jeff's essay and I thought it was really well written. I especially thought that the way he drove the point across with humor in his closing sentence really brought the entire essay together.
Lauren South - Most well put together essay I've ever read! Amazing use of vocab. in just the right places.
Keith Kelleher - Really good topic. Could have elaborated more and supported it further.
Johnny Ricca - Insightful and personal, making the essay much more interesting to read, while still refering to the prompt.
Jess Nartowicz - I liked that it said that everyone should feel free to be individual and admire who/what they want 'even if it's shallow,' because life's all about being your own person.
Lauren Southworth- She wrote an amazing essay. I like the way she used quotes and her great vocabulary. She brought great points when she said that today people are recognized for their athletic ability or the brand of their clothing. I believe the best part of the essay was the conclusion where she says you don't need the best paycheck in order to achieve the best.
Brian Bettencourt- He was very unique in the choosing of his words. He took the side that we do have the same types of values but just for different people. But as well as he did put it, I just don't believe it. I just don't believe that comparing Tom Brady to Beowulf is justified at all.
Jordan P- I like the way Jordan wrote her essay. She kind of made fun of the media but it was very necessary in order to write this type of essay. I like her conclusion because she's not saying that we should have to look up to someone like Beowulf but our hero should be someone that we admire because we admire them and not because the rest of our friends like them.
R.Dewar- I liked his essay a lot because it was very honest. I liked it so much that it kind of helped me write my essay and I appreciate the help because I was kind of in a rut.
Katherine Amara- I liked her essay because it spoke to me. It wasn't like reading lines after lines. I felt like she was there just talking to me and that was very good way of writing her essay. I like the way she said that we live off what the media says.
Alicia Scanlan
Brielle- I thought your essay was very well written. You included good sentence variation and quotes to back up your arguments. I also liked your last paragraph when you connected Beowulf's heroism to heroes of today. You did a really good job on your essay.
Lauren South- I thought you did a good job comparing Beowulf to modern society. You have a strong vocabulary and it shows in your paper. I also enjoyed your quote, "Trying to become the best person you can be does not mean you need to strive for the largest paycheck or run to the plastic surgeon to have some work done." It was very enjoyable to read.
Rachael- Very nice essay. I liked your examples of role models we tend to look up to these days. You were knowledgeable on American values today and the many flaws that are associated with them. I particularly liked your quote, "Some of the excellent actresses, who might be of an average weight, are put in the shadow of the starlets who are at a very unhealthy weight." It's very true I'm glad you made that point in your essay.
Brian- I thought your essay had a different twist than many of the other essays. You said how we are the ones who allow these movie/ TV stars to become our idols. That we're the ones watching the shows and making them hits. I liked how you made that connection/ and even admitted to being a guilty watcher yourself.
Katherine- I thought you made a good point at the end of your essay. You said how we idolize the men overseas but not as much as we do our favorite actor. It's sad but true. A lot of people today say they look up to the soldiers but probably can't name five people over there, I can't unfortunately. I thought that was a good, bold statement.
Jordan Penney
Comments
Ashley LaRochelle
Class: E
Critisizing Five Essays
Justin Bliss- I loved how his essay was quesion after question. And he was very right, that to an extent we care more about celebrities than the soldiers. I also loved this quote, "How are the Patriots doing this season, while the real patriots are on the front lines and you never hear about them." It's very true that we don't pay very much attention to the soldiers, but to the team instead. It really is a shame.
Jen O'Brien- I liked how Jen talked a lot about Beowulf, and how he did have courage, bravery, and virtue. Whereas in today's culture we tend to look up to "scumbags." I liked this quote, "Our culture has the wrong mindset of what a hero really is." This is very true because we do know what a real hero should be, but we still, for some reason look up to these celebrities and professional athletes.
Johnny Ricca- I was never bored while reading Johnny's essay. It was great that he addmitted to holding Brandon Boyd higher in his book, but he also mentioned his Uncle Mike who I've only heard about from word of mouth. The way that Johnny talks about him, and how he looks up to him, it just let's you know that he truely was and will always be his hero, and a great man at that.
Brian Bettencourt- I loved Brian's wording throughout the whole essay, and i agree with him one hundred percent. Physically, yes, heros have changed from being "spartins" to professional athletes for the most part, but the morals are still generally the same.
Eric Olsen- I liked how it seemed as though he was having a one on one conversation with the reader. And his point of view, although the same as everyone else, was written in a different way. He also mentioned one huge thing, our parents, these people should definetly be our number one heros, without a doubt.
Brielle-You did a really good job. It was very well written and thorough. You used good support.
Katie Adler-I really enjoyed your paper. I liked how you focused on both the past and present.
Jordan-Great paper! I liked how you discussed the media and said that our heroes should share the same ideals as us.
Jeff-It was very well written. I liked how you gave specific examples and connected it to Beowulf.
Lauren-You wrote a really good essay. I liked how you connected it to the past and you had a good use of vocabulary.
Brianna Cote
Class:D
Lauren
I liked it how you gave specific examples from Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon times. Then you gave good examples of people today who still keep those values. You used a lot of good vocabulary too.
Brian
Your opening really made you want to read on, and your writing style is like you actually talking. I really liked your essay.
Lindsay
I liked how you focused on more than one type of hero, and how people look up to different people. You also did a nice tying it all up in the end. Good job!
Katie
The way you explained how our values changed because of influences, like media, that Beowulf didn’t have, was really good. It was very clear and easy to read.
Alicia
You got right to the point so the reader knew what the topic of your essay was, nice strategy. I also liked the way you compared and contrasted different types of heroism.
Jessica Nartowicz
D Class
Lauren Southworth
English D
Comments on Beowulf Essay
Alicia: I totally agree that children today aspire only to become like celebrated athletes and celebrities, instead of say astronauts or doctors. I believe that the media is only partly to blame, however. Parents should be more influential and expose their children to "real" heroes.
Jordan: I understand your point, I too am sick of hearing about Linday, Britney and Paris. I liked your observation that teenagers are only "considered admirable or worthy of their peers" if they are wearing the appropriate designer labels. Hollister is everywhere at NHS.
Rachael: I liked how you thought it was shameful that people who deserve admiration are overshadowed by the false heroes. I never considered the link to anorexia and bulimia and plastic surgery shows like Dr. 90210 should be taken off the air.
Katherine: Your essay was very good, I liked your positive outlooks on strength, bravery and loyalty. You also brought up a lot of good points in our DF on Monday.
Katrina: Wow! Tough to read the part about your cousin, it was very moving and he is a true hero in my eyes. Very strong ending, I liked the quote you incorporated and it's relevance to the topic.
John Ricca- I really liked his essay. I found it to be very touching. It was well written and stayed focused on the topic. However, he should not have posted his essay with double spacing!
John Todd- All I can say is WOW! That was maturely written and in depth. Good use of vocabulary.
Eric Olson- I liked how u started off your essay with what you think a hero should be. I thought he had a really good concluding paragraph.
Courtney Mello- I am going to have to agree with Katherine about Courtney's essay. It is short but right to the point. She definitely got her point across.
Kellie Hansen- I agree strongly with Kellie on the fact that today people do not see firefighters and soldiers as big heroes as much as they do athletes or actors. I like how Kellie did not deny the fact that she looks up to celebrities but yet she still knows who the true heroes are.
-Nadya Kaltsunas
Period D
5 RESPONSES:
Keith Kelleher:
I strongly agree with Keith's point of view and I also think that our soldiers should be treated much better than they are.
Jen O'Brien:
Jen has a really strong conclusion. There were just a few typing mistakes but other than that she gets her point across.
Brian Finney:
The introduction is very interesting and makes me want to finish reading the essay to see what else he has to say. Brian is also honest and tells it how it is.
Nina Estremera:
Nina's last sentences are perfect and sum up what all of us are trying to say. We should all listen to it and really think about it because she is 100% correct.
Justin Bliss:
I really enjoyed reading Justin's essay. He elaborates on the topic very well and has a A LOT of good points.
Stephanie Bryant
Comments on 5 essays
Brielle-
I like how you explained your points. You wrote your essay in a way that made clear connections to the heroes we see in today's day-to-day life. I also liked how you noted that whether for good or bad reasons, a hero is someone who is admired for what they do...and that has not changed, even today. I was thinking that same thing. Great job!!!
Adam-
Wow. I loved your essay. It was done in such a way that you didn't even notice it's length, but instead simply took it all in. I liked your essay because it offered a view much different from all the other essays that I never even thought of before. I also liked how you made it more personal and related the prompt to your own daily life. It made your essay even more interesting! You made a very good point by noting how people are in charge of choosing their own careers, and thus, should know what they're getting themselves into before hand...that they shouldn't do their job for the glory, but instead for the passion. Very well done.
Jordan-
I loved your essay!!! You used great vocabulary and everything you wrote just seemed to flow together flawlessly. I loved the line you used saying, "Being admired does not have to be so expensive." That's so creative and fitting. I also liked how you were easily able to relate Beowulf back to modern day times, your points were solid. Finally, I liked how you said that today's heroes don't necessarily have be like Beowulf, but instead we should just look up to heroes that mean something to us...not just the mass of America. Awesome job!!!
Johnny-
I thought your essay was very creative and well done. I like how you contrasted the dictionary definition of what a hero means, to what society defines a hero as today. I thought that was a good addition to your essay. I also liked how you related the prompt to your own life telling the story about your Uncle being your hero, and then coming around to say that we all need to take a step back and realize who the real heroes in the world are. Great job!!!
Rachael-
Nice essay!!! I loved reading your points and the way that you worded and presented them, I kept going to write my favorites down to tell you but there were so many!!! haha But I'll tell you a couple anyway. I liked the comment on how war has become second-rate news compared to finding out the latest celebrity gossip, Donald Trump is more noted for dating younger,more beautiful women than his actual business success, and making the very true point of how no matter how great an actress may be she's almost always pushed to the shadows by a skinner, more "ideal" looking "average talented" actress. I think you did a great job and clearly spent time thinking about what to write about. Nice work!!!
Katie Adler
Class D
Reviews:
Katrina: Good job describing, and relating to Beowulf. I think it was a very good point to say that children are also heroes. I think we tend to overlook heros such as teenagers and young adults, and you did a good job incorrporating it into your essay. It was a good choice to put that quote at the end, it really connected to the subject. Good job overall.
J.T.: You make a lot of good points, especially with the point of how many people feel the need to be thin, due to their role modles. You had nice thought and insight, and did a good job of giving specific details of why our society is the way it is today. I like your ending sentence, it really makes you think.
Nina: You started your essay off really well. especially by saying that few people modle their lives after the values that anglo saxon describes. It really is true, and I completely agree. You make a lot of good points, and connections that i think most class mates would agree with. Good job!
Katherine: You did a good job of starting the essay off stong, and grabing the readers attention. I like how you really focus on how the media affects our thoughts and values. It was really interesting to see how you compared the soldiers from the past, to todays soldiers.
Rachael M.: Good job on demonstrating how are values have changed. I agree, it's sad that our heros arn't always firemen, plicemen, and soldiers any more. I think it was a really good idea to say how American culture influences us, because it is important and I think it is a main factor of how our country is today. Really good job on connecting to the topic.
Nadya- You have a great point by saying how we still hold values or everything would be the same. I really like how you show that today’s society has more than one opinion. When you say how society can be healthy and also destructive it is a good point. After you say that you should also elaborate more into it by giving an example for each of them.
Justin- I like how you bring the perspective of the Anglo-Saxon life style into your essay. I like how you use the word patriot with two different definitions while still making a solid and excellent point on society. Ending is a personal favorite of mine.
Dewar- Great point on how the idea of “hero” never stays the same. Nice job in tying your personal life into the theme of the essay. You had excellent use of the Socratic Method to end your essay. Well done Philosopher.
Eric O. - I like how you tie a person’s picture of a hero as someone they wished they were. Good point on how heroes changing are an affect of society changing. I think ending statement is well written. You did not mention if today’s value system is healthy or destructive. Powerful essay.
Keith- Strong point in opening paragraph on how celebrities will not keep America strong forever. Good point that even if you do not agree with war, soldiers are still fighting for us. Essay is just missing Anglo-Saxon view point.
-Jeff Moore
Josh Kirkpatric hit some serious points. Unfortunately, people do plan their lives around the amount of money they can make and less on what they can do for their country.
Kok, your essay was solid. I agree with the statement that the true meaning of the word hero may be losing its value over time.
Cummings, you made a good point that heroes can be normal everyday people. You do not have to be a fire fighter or a soldier to possess the qualities of a hero.
Brian, your essay stood out in comparison to the others and was much better than mine. It is sad yet true that we are the ones who make these people our heroes.
Lauren, your essay flowed the best while getting each point across. I found it to be very captivating and it dominated as well.
- Keith Kelleher
Nina Estremera
5 Comments
Mr. Dewar gave really good examples of how people who are part of your life day to day are the true heroes. He rose the question who would call on in time of need could actually be your hero. Not your favorite rap star. He could work on his lingo a little bit, but since he is the principal I’ll let it slide.
Lauren gave quotes from Beowulf for the reader to get a sound understanding of what the essay was based on. She also gave background information fro the poem to prove the points she made. Also, her essay was very well versed.
Stephanie’s reflections in her closing paragraph were very wise. I agree that heroes are reflections of a society’s ideals, because it is what we praise and admire.
Jordan made a lot of good points about how the youth feeds on media. It is definitely scary, and I agree that people need to start thinking for themselves.
Justin is right that more and more people are lacking respect in America. It is not something that is held to such high esteem, because it is not being taught to most of our youth.
Brian Bettencourts Comments
Keith,
I really liked your essay. You seem to truly believe what you wrote and that you didn't just write this for the grade. I enjoyed reading it because it felt like you were talking directly to me and not just writting down what came to mind.
Glassman,
I liked your essay aswell because you brought up an issue I have a huge problem with. I agree completely that the world revolves around money and that no one can be trusted because of this. The only problem is went way away from the topic, but I loved where you went with it.
Jow Mitchell,
I like how you talked about family. I agree 100%. And I really liked your last sentence.
Alicia Scanlan,
Nicley written, and I enjoyed the attack on the media for all the stupid things it does. However, you agreed that athletes are considered heros now, but you commented saying that Tom Brady is not a fair representation of Beowulf? Also, who is Donald Trumph?
John Ricca,
Beautiful. Your uncle was the man and a true hero. Very well written and i liked the use of DEFERENCE, a vocab word, +5 if i were Kefor.
"In today's world we definitly exercise honor and integrity, we do in the way we treat others and how we run and act in our everyday lives. Our heroes are people that we look up to and respect and want to learn something from. This can be our parents, a famous athlete, or a friend. I think that we can all make the world a better place by accomplishing our dreams and goals with honor, integrity, and most importantly by being ourselves.
-Lindsay Bailey"
I agree with Lindsay today we do exercise honor and integrity and we definatly do look up to those people as heros.
I also agree with Brian Bettencourt since the time of Beowulf, our morals and values have changed to a degree. and our heros are athlets now a days unlike back then. But i disagree with himn when he said The twenty first century is definitely far different from the time of Beowulf, but the beliefs and morals have not changed too drastically. because i think it has changed drastically.
and the last person i agree with is Nadya Kaltsunas she said "In Beowulf the values that are displayed are honor, respect, courage, and virtue. In today’s world I believe that it is just as important to display these values as it was back in the Beowulf days" and that is true to a few of us today. Then she talked about flaws "I think that our culture promotes both a healthy and admirable lifestyle, however at the same time it promotes a flawed and even destructive lifestyle." and i agree because its ture the life stlye is good but bad at points.
ADAM H.
Mr. Dewar - I agree with you alot on who your heros really are. My hero is my grandfather not some celebrity. I really also appreciate your comment because it helped me write my essay. All your questions really made me think.
Brielle - I like when you wrote about how today people are known for kicking a soccer ball or dressing in certain designer clothes. People really do see famous people especially sports players as their heros.
Brian B - I think your could have backed your opinon up a little more. Also you never answered who is your hero and what makes a hero to you.
Joe Mitchell - Why don't people today indorse the qualities like in Beowulf? I liked how you put heroes in quotes.
Alyssa Ruta
Jordan Penny - I thought your essay was really good. I liked all your examples. I feel like you are right and that hopefully the younger generation will start thinking that celebrities and sports players are not the only heroes in the world.
Alyssa Ruta
Joe Mitchell
Class D Honors
Adam– I liked how you led an in depth look at Anglo-Saxon values compared to our values and really tied them together.
Finney– Your bluntness about how we don’t support our troops shocked me a little, but after thinking about your reasoning, I personally believe you’re right to a degree. We really leave the fighting to others and want nothing to do with it ourselves. Great essay.
Britt Costa– I agree that although we would like to view soldiers, firemen, etc. as heroes, that we should also view our families and teachers in the highest regard as well. Without them, we would be lost.
Katherine– You’re absolutely right by saying that we blame the media for the shallowness of society, but we should place the blame on ourselves as well. It would mean that instead of playing the blame game, we buck-up, take responsibility, and do something about it ourselves.
Moore– Your essay offered a new perspective of heroism to me that I had not thought of before, and that was the part about a single parent raising his/her children. Your essay was thoughtful and offered some humor as well.
Joe Mitchell said, "People look up to others that they don't know at all, such as celebrities, without the knowledge of what that person is really like." i like how he said how we really don't know anything about a hero but say they are heroes cause someone else said they were.
Briana said, "The American society is quite familiar with such names as Paris, Britney, and Lindsay, but if someone were to mention the name of a random soldier and their heroic duties, chances are that the majority of people would not be very aware of the situation." I like how this point makes every think and realize how we know the names of people who haven't really done anything but we don't know the names of those who are risking thier lives for us.
Ryan said, "In my mind a hero is someone who is doing something that is not required of them, but rather it is a choice that they made." I agree with this statement and it is very strong. It is true that a hero can be anyone, not just a famous star.
Brian Bettencourt says how the traits of a hero haven't strayed too far from the traits of a hero back in the past. I like how he realizes that some traits are never lost in a hero.
Finally, Brittany costa said, "We care about the way we look and being the most popular out of all your friends." This statement is said but true. People are always caught up with themselves instead of others due to the impact of these heroes.
--John Cummings
Katie I.- your essay was very well written, and its obvious that you spent a lot of time on it. you connected the topic with your own life by telling the story of your cousin CJ, which really added something extra to it. also, the Thomas Payne quote at the end rocks and really fits the topic well.
L. South- your essay was really good! i loved the part where you said, "Chivalry and honor have been replaced over the years with materialism, greed, and obsession with beauty." thats really true, and really relates to the essay well.
Johnny- i thought your essay was great! i liked how you named one of your heroes (Brandon Boyd) and then backed up your reasons for liking him, showing that it wasnt just because he was a 'rock star' but because he does good things. i also thought it was awesome that you used an example from your own life by talking about your uncle, because im sure that most people have a certain person in their family that they look up to also.
jordan- your essay was written very well, and i thought you brought up many good points about how american society is destructive and completely different from the honor that was valued during the time of Beowulf. good job :)
Jeff- you did a really good job in showing how different american heroes are compared to heroes that existed in beowulf's time. i thought that your point about how a widow with 3 kids working 2 jobs wasn't talked about, but a guy that stepped on geese was front-page news was really good and really drove the point home about how are values are really flawed. i also thought that your point towards the end about how people starve themselves or steal just to be like what they see on tv basically described what our society is like today.
Sunday- Sports Center- 30 min That 70s show- 60 min Internet- 60 min Football- 3 hours
Monday-That 70s show- 60 min Internet- 60 min News paper- 90 min Football- 90 min
Tuesday-That 70s show- 60 min Internet- 60 min The Office- 60 min
Wednesday-That 70s show- 60 min Newspaper- 90 min Internet- 60 min
Thursday-That 70s show- 60 min Internet-30 min The Office-30
Friday- Internet-20 min News paper 90 min
Saturday- Sports Center- 30 min Superbad- 90 min Internet- 45 min
Sunday- Sports Center- 30 min That 70s show- 60 min Internet- 60 min Football- 3 hours
Monday- That 70s show- 60 min Internet- 60 min Football- 90 min
Show 1- That 70's show
The target audience is teenagers. The characters are a group of friends who hang out. There are no values portrayed in this show. A foreign student would think it is ok to drink and do drugs because these kids never get into much trouble. The appeal of this show is the humor it portrays about growing up as a teenager in the 70's. The values go against Anglo-Saxon ways because the kids in the show are all lazy and do nothing worth being considered heros.
Show 2- Sports Center
The target audience is anyone who loves sports. The people are news casters who do interviews and in depth stories. Sports Center show everything sports related and they will even show some sports that people wont care about. If a foreign student saw Sports Center he would think Americans love sports entirely to much because this show repeats for hours. The core appeal of this show is the fact that it gives you scores and highlights of games you did not catch. The show makes new clips everyday and even change the show during the day. They work very hard as the Anglo-Saxons did.
Justin Bliss
Media Log
9/23
T.V.
1. Extreme Makeover House Edition
2. Brothers and Sisters
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Football on Channel 5
Internet
1. My Space
2. Bristol community college e-mail
3. Facebook
4. Google
Music
1. Kiss 108
2. 92.3
3. 106.3
9/24
T.V.
1. The Hills
2. Life of Ryan
3. Dr. 90210
4. Football on Channel 5
Internet
1. My Space
2. Bristol community college e-mail
3. Facebook
4. Mr. Kefor’s Blog
5. Edline
Music
1. Kiss 108
2. 92.3
3. 106.3
4. 94.5
5. 95.5
Book
1. My lab book for my human anatomy and physiology class
9/25
T.V
1. Beauty and the Geek
Internet
1. My Space
2. Bristol community college e-mail
3. Facebook
4. Edline
Music
1. Kiss 108
2. 92.3
3. 106.3
4. 94.5
5. 95.5
9/26
T.V.
1. America’s Next Top Model
2. Real World
3. Newport Harbor
Internet
1. My Space
2. Bristol community college e-mail
3. Facebook
4. Mr. Kefor’s Blog
5. Edline
Book
1. My lab book for my human anatomy and physiology class
9/27
T.V.
1. Grey’s Anatomy
Internet
1. My Space
2. Bristol community college e-mail
3. Facebook
4. Edline
Music
1. Kiss 108
2. 92.3
3. 106.3
4. 94.5
5. 95.5
9/28
Internet
1. My Space
2. Bristol community college e-mail
3. Facebook
4. Edline
Music
1. Kiss 108
2. 92.3
3. 106.3
4. 94.5
5. 95.5
9/29
Internet
1. My Space
2. Bristol community college e-mail
3. Facebook
Music
1. Kiss 108
2. 92.3
3. 106.3
4. 94.5
5. 95.5
9/30
T.V.
1. Desperate Housewives
2. Football
3. Brothers and Sisters
4. Extreme Makeover Home Edition
Internet
1. My Space
2. Bristol community college e-mail
3. Facebook
Music
1. Kiss 108
2. 92.3
3. 106.3
4. 94.5
5. 95.5
Movies
1. The Kingdom
10/1
T.V.
1. The Hills
2. Life of Ryan
3. Dr. 90210
4. Football on Channel 5
Internet
1. My Space
2. Bristol community college e-mail
3. Facebook
4. Mr. Kefor’s Blog
5. Edline
Music
1. Kiss 108
2. 92.3
3. 106.3
4. 94.5
5. 95.5
Book
1. My lab book for my human anatomy and physiology class
1. Desperate Housewives are geared towards viewers that are mostly women and even older teens. The only reason it may be appealing to men is because of the commercials. They are a little revealing and try to pull in the viewer with the outfits and the drama. These days My Space is geared towards everyone in today’s society. Such as, companies, bands, artists, adults, teens, kids, and many, many more. Companies, bands, and artistes use My Space to get teens, kids, and other My Space member’s attention.
2. The characters in Desperate Housewives relates to those women who are in the same situations as those on the show. For example, one of the mothers on the show has cancer but at the same time is trying to be super mom. I am sure many moms out there have tried to do the same as her and failed. She sought help from her friends and her family to help her through her rough times. They also show other women that they are lucky their lives are not as crazy and weird as theirs are. My Space relates to people because everyone in the world is different but those who sign up for My Space and use it all coalesce and have one thing in common.
3. On My Space, even though it’s not followed all the time, it promotes you to be yourself. To do this you must provide true information and not explicit pictures. Tom the creator of My Space tries to take pride in what he started and wants people to follow his expectations. Desperate Housewives promote values of being a good mother or wife and learning to deal with problems and a family. Also, to watch out for unexpected events.
4. A foreign student would probably think that we listen to music a lot. He or she might also think that American culture is made up of watching TV and the surfing the internet. They would find out that I do not like to read unless I have to, for school or something important.
5. The core appeal of Desperate housewives is to show its viewers how messed up life can really be. Hopefully the lesson taken away is don’t take life for granted and make the best of it everyday.
6. Beowulf was able to be himself and be brave, just like on My Space you should be able to be who you really are. A lot of kids think as their moms as their heroes or even their dads. Desperate Housewives uses the woman with cancer as the hero in the show. It shows her courage to fight the cancer and still take care of her kids. She puts herself second to everything through this rough time; that is a hero in my eyes.
Alyssa Ruta
Katie Adler
Media log and questions
Class D honors
September 23.Pirates of the Caribbean Movie. Internet 2 hours. Music about 20 min. 107.1.
September 24. Hannah Montana (tv).Internet about 1 hour and 15 min. Music Incubus about 25 min.
September 25. Magazine- Everyday with Racheal Ray. Music 20ish min. 98.5
September 26. Internet- 2 hours Music Incubus 20 min.
September 27. Music 98.5 15 mmin. Internet about an hour.
September 28.Book-Harry Potter. Internet 1.5 hours Music 98.5 15 min.
September 29. Music 2 hours Rock/Rap/ Radio. Internet 30 min.
September 30. Magazine- Seventeen. Book- Harry Potter. Internet about an hour. T.V.- Rock of love 1 hour
October 1. Music 15 min. Radio 98.5. Internet about 1.5 hours.
October 2. Internet 25 min.
October 3. Internet 2.5 hours. Music 45 min. Book- Into Thin air.
October 4. T.V. Food Network Food 911- 30 min. Internet 2 hrs. Music about an hour.
Two of my prominent popular culture items would have to be the internet and music. These two items of pop-culture influence my life daily. The internet tries to target everyone, not just a specific age group. It has web pages, search engines, and blogs that suite everyone, not just one group. Users of the internet can go online to look at anything that interests them. It’s an outlet to anywhere you want to go. Unfortunately the internet does absorb the majority of our society, and it isn’t necessarily teaching us the best values. You are exposed to what ever you want to see. Most anything you can think of, it’s available to you. This leaves an open opportunity for children and teenagers to be more exposed to drugs, and violence. If a foreign student was to exam our use of the internet, I believe they’d be in shock. American culture sky rocketed, and it’s continuing to grow. Foreigners may conclude that Americans are absorbed in this cyber space, which may be taking us away from our morals and values. The main appeal of the internet is that there are basically no limits. You can find just about any information you need in a matter of minutes. By using the internet, you gain knowledge, save time, and it’s more convenient for yourself. Unfortunately the values that one may receive from the internet differ from the Anglo Saxon values system presented in Beowulf. The internet uses sites such as myspace and facebook, to promote honor and respect for the wrong things. Focus is no longer on heroes, but it’s on something that’s just a couple clicks away.
As for music, like the internet it targets most everyone. There are different genres for all different tastes. Each genre targets someone’s emotions, which can connect with the lyrics or beats of a song. People of our society relate to music in all different ways. Many relate it to their life styles, and many use it for their different moods. It gathers people of all shapes and sizes to like one thing. Concerts and benefit shows go on each and everyday, allowing people to show their passion and love for the sound tracks that relate so much to their lives. Many lyrics in music promote strong values of love and respect, while others discriminate and hate against others. It’s what you choose to listen to, that influences you. The lyrics and words to these songs can play in your head over and over again, influencing you to think a certain way. However, they can also influence you to be an individual. It all depends on your choices. If a foreign student was to see America’s interaction with music, I don’t think they’d be as surprised as with our use of the internet. Music is a world wide obsession, and countries use it everywhere to celebrate, mourn, and express themselves. Music is very unique, because when you listen to it, everyone gains a little something. Whether it’s an outlet for you anger, or passion for your love, you can some how find something to relate to. The Angelo Saxon values in Beowulf, really do relate to those in music. Music gives you someone to look up to. You have honor and respect for these hard working artists that influence you every day, and in Beowulf those are the same values portrayed.
Sunday 9-23
9:30-9:40 Radio
2:30-4:20 DVD
4:20-5:30 Internet
6:45-8:05 go to a hockey game
9:05 watch Family guy
Monday 9-24
6:00-7:00 Chanel 5 news
7:00-7:20 Listen to the Radio
2:05-2:20 Radio
2:45-3:00 go on the internet
4:00-5:20 play Wii
8:00-10:00 watch CBS
Tuesday 9-25
6:00-7:00 Chanel 5 news
7:00-7:20 Listen to the Radio
2:05-2:20 Radio
3:00-3:50 Play X-Box 360
3:50-5:00 Play Wii
5:00-7:30 watch a dvd
7:30-8:00 go on internet
8:00-10:00 watch tv
10:00-11:10 go on internet
Wednesday 9-26
6:00-7:00 Chanel 5 news
7:00-7:20 Listen to the Radio
2:05-2:20 Listen to the Radio
2:40-2:50 Listen to the Radio
7:20-8:00 go on internet
8:00-10:00 watch tv
10:00-10:27 play X-Box 360
Thursday 9-27
6:00-7:00 Chanel 5 news
7:00-7:20 Listen to the Radio
2:05-2:20 Listen to the Radio
2:40-2:50 Listen to the Radio
7:20-8:00 go on internet
8:00-9:45 watch dvd
9:45-10:30 go on internet
Friday 9-28
6:00-7:00 Chanel 5 news
7:00-7:20 Listen to the Radio
2:05-2:20 Listen to the Radio
2:40-2:50 Listen to the Radio
7:30-8:50 go to football game
9:00-12:50 Play poker
Saturday 9-29
8:50-9:20 go on internet
9:25-9:40 listen to radio
3:00-3:17 listen to radio
3:40-5:00 go on internet
5:00-6:50 watch dvd
7:00-8:00 play Wii
8:05-8:42 listen to the radio
8:45-11:30 play slots at Twin Rivers
12:00-1:50 watch dvd
Sunday 9-30
7:00-7:15 listen to radio
10:45-10:55 listen to radio
11:45-1:20 watch dvd
1:20-2:30 play Wii
5:30-7:00 go bowling
9:30-10:00 watch family guy
10:00-11:20 go on internet
Internet
1. Who is the target audience or recipient? All ages mainly the younger people
2. How do the characters/people interact and relate to one another? The whole idea is now centered around teens
3. What values are promoted and held in high esteem by the characters/people and the program in general? Um, there are a ton of values in it.
4. If a foreign student were to analyze the source/program as you are, what conclusions might he or she draw about American culture? He/She would probably might think we are alike.
5. What is the core appeal of the program? What does one gain from viewing or consuming it? The core appeal is knowledge because one can gain so much from being on it.
6. How do the values promoted compare and contrast with the Anglo-Saxon value system presented in Beowulf? The values are much different from Beowulf because in Beowulf the values were all centered around fighting, and on the internet you can research fighting play games about fighting and do so much related to fighting. But the internet has many different pieces which appeal to a wide variety of people which most don’t care about fighting and some don’t even have values.
X-Box 360
1. Mainly teens and middle aged men.
2. People can interact with x-box live and chat and play games together.
3. The company tries to have high quality games.
4. They would probably enjoy the system and like Americans better?
5. The core appeal is the quality of the games and one gains gaming experience from it.
6. The values are almost the same each gamer has there own name and they score points for various reason and those with the highest score are liked more.
Adam H.
Sunday 9/23 - Listened to Tool: Aenema; Incubus: Make Yourself, Pardon Me, Circles; Red Hot Chili Peppers: Under the Bridge; 311: Eons, Beautiful Disaster; Ratatat - Loud Pipes; Red Hot Chili Peppers: Around the World; Watched CSI and Reno 911 DVD
Monday 9/24 - Listened to Chevelle: I Get It, Vitamin R; Say Anything: Walk Through Hell; Shinedown: Stranger Inside; Hatebreed: I Will Be Heard; Slipknot: Wait and Bleed; Ram Jam - Black Betty; Watched The Man Show
Tuesday 9/25 - Listened to Incubus: Pardon Me Acoustic; Every Time I Die: The New Black; Saliva: Click Click Boom; Shinedown: Simple Man; Skindred: Pressure; Watched snowboarding films on TWSNOW.COM
Wednesday 9/26 - Listened to Tool: Eulogy, Jambi, 46 and 2; Bad Religion: Infected; Sublime: What I Got; Stone Temple Pilots: Interstate Love Song; State Radio: Camilo; Staind: Falling; Watched South Park and CSI
Thursday 9/27 - Listened to Slipknot: Duality; Baylock: Rise; Refused: New Noise; Rage Against the Machine: Maria, Bulls On Parade; A Perfect Circle: Judith, Imagine; Foo Fighters: Pretender, Learn To Fly; Fatboy Slim: Weapon of Choice; Mudvayne: Happy; Watched MANswers
Friday 9/28 - Listened to Eve 6: Anytime; Tool: Vicarious; DMX: One More Road To Cross, Whats My Name; Pearl Jam: Life Wasted; Nickelback: Animals; Dave Matthews Band: Everyday; Cypress Hill: Rock Superstar; Watched Entourage Season 2
Saturday 9/29 Listened to Dropkick Murphys: Shipping Up To Boston; Dr. Dre: Whats the Difference; Disturbed: Stricken; Crossfade: The Deep End; Tool: Pushit, Flood; Incubus: Under My Umbrella, Glass, Have You Ever, Nowhere Fast, When It Comes, Admiration; Ok Go: Here It Goes; Played Halo 3
The past week one of the main bands I have listened to is Incubus. They are a very unique band who seem as though they could care less about who listens to their message as long as they do listen to it. The majority of their listeners are however teens or younger adults. The band seems to promote being your own person, choosing your own path, and deviating from the common path. If I was an immigrant who had never experienced America it would make me feel as though we are to individualistic, self centered, and worried about our image rather than those around us. Listening to music such as this promotes people to be their own person and listen to what they truly want to do. These values are similar to that of a hero in the Beowulf time, but not so much for a citizen during that eras. A hero was supposed to be their own person, fearless and courageous; while citizens are all of similarity and live very similar to their neighbor's.
Friday I went over a friends house and we watched the second season of Entourage in its entirety. The show consists of four friends who joke and have an overall good time living life. They all rag on each other when the times are good, but when things go bad they are still there to pick on another up. It seems strange but the values these characters hold seem to be that of living every second of life like it is your last. These values could cause a foreign person to view America as immature, overly sarcastic, and arrogant. This program seems to appeal to the lovers of everyday humor, those who like to laugh at the lives of celebrities and experience pieces of life they would not be able to experience. These views are contradicting to those of Beowulf. The Anglo Saxon way is not to be rambunctious and sarcastic, but rather to be part of the masses, individuality was not exactly encouraged.
Ryan Kok
English D
Jeff Moore
Block D
Media Log
Sports illustrated targets males from the ages 14-50. In the “faces in the crowd section” the people can relate because “faces in the crowd” is about average people (high school students, 40 year old men, 12 year old kids, etc.) that do incredible things in the sports the play. Values that are promoted in Sports Illustrated are hard work, work ethic, and determination. A foreign student could draw the conclusion that sports are one of the hottest topics of discussions in the media and that athletes are praised greatly. The core appeal is to get the scoop on what happened in recent sporting events, what to look for in recent sporting events, and what is the buzz about the popular athletes and teams. One can gain knowledge of a sporting team, player, or even a sport itself by reading Sports Illustrated. The value of being an athlete is basically the same value as being a dragon slaying hero in Beowulf. Both are at the highest of the popularity ladder in their time period’s social class.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air targets males and females from the ages of 12-25. The characters interact with sarcasm, a humorous attitude, and love for their family. Values that are promoted are family, perseverance, and luck. If a foreign student were to analyze this television show, they would think American culture is all about making fun of each other and trying to be funny. The core appeal of the program is Will Smith and his incredible sense of humor. Will can make anyone laugh with his personality that is funny too all ages. One can gain the knowledge of great pick up lines and excellent ways to try to persuade people in a debate by watching the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Sunday, September 23:
8:40am-9:00am- Radio on the way to work
Work from 8-1pm
1:00pm-1:10pm- Radio on the way home
Out with friends or family
Tv depending on what time i get home.
Monday, September 24:
7:30am-7:40am- Radio on the way to school
2:03pm-2:15pm- Radio on the way home
Sleep till 3:40pm
Work from 4- 9pm
9:30pm-11:00pm- Comedy centeral + Internet
Teusday. September 25:
7:30am-7:40am- Radio on the way to school
2:03pm-2:1pm5- Radio on the way home
Sleep till 3:40pm
Work from 4- 9pm
9:30pm-11:00pm- Comedy centeral + Internet
Wednesday, September 26:
7:30am-7:40am- Radio on the way to school
2:03pm-2:15pm- Radio on the way home
Sleep till 3:40pm
Work from 4- 9pm
9:30pm-11:00pm- Comedy centeral + Internet
Thursday, September 27:
7:30am-7:40am- Radio on the way to school
2:03pm-2:15pm- Radio on the way home
Sleep till 3:40pm
Work from 4- 9pm
9:30pm-11:00pm- Comedy centeral + Internet
Friday, September 28:
7:30am-7:40am- Radio on the way to school
2:03pm-2:15pm- Radio on the way home
Sleep till 3:40pm
Work from 4- 9pm
Out with friends till whenever
Saturday, September 29:
7:45-8:00- Radio on the way to work
Work from 8-1pm
1:00-1:15- Radio on the way home
Out with family and friends
Sunday, September 30:
8:40am-9:00am- Radio on the way to work
Work from 8-1pm
1:00pm-1:10pm- Radio on the way home
Out with friends or family
Tv depending on what time i get home.
Monday,October 1:
7:30am-7:40am- Radio on the way to school
2:03pm-2:15pm- Radio on the way home
Sleep till 3:40pm
Work from 4- 9pm
9:30pm-11:00pm- Comedy centeral + Internet
Part B: The Internet + Radio
Im not sure if were even suppose to do this.
1. Who is the target audience or recipient? The Radio and the Internet are ment for all ages and types of people.
2. How do the characters/people interact and relate to one another? People can communicate though the internet and relate to songs on the radio.
3. What values are promoted and held in high esteem by the characters/people and the program in general? The values of listening to a certin type of music is from the radio station that you are listening to.
4. If a foreign student were to analyze the source/program as you are, what conclusions might he or she draw about American culture? He or she may have the same culture values considering that alot of teens across the world do listento the radio and go on the Internet to chat with people.
5. What is the core appeal of the program? I dont get this question What does one gain from viewing or consuming it? I gain communication with friends when i talk to them on the internet and when doing reseach for projects.
6. How do the values promoted compare and contrast with the Anglo-Saxon value system presented in Beowulf? Well they didn't have the type of techonology back then so they couldnt be able to do the media that we do today.
Josh Spilewski
Stephanie Bryant
Period (D)
Media Log and Responses
-----------------------------------
9/23/07 (Sunday)
-Music (Better than Ezra)
15 min.
-----------------------------------
9/24/07 (Monday)
-Music "In Car" (Black October)
10 min.
-Music "In Car" (Better than Ezra)
10 min.
-Movie (Demetri Martin.Person)
1 hour
-----------------------------------
9/25/07 (Tuesday)
-Music "In Car" (Better than Ezra)
10 min.
-Music "In Car" (Better than Ezra)
20 min.
-Movie (Hot Shots)
30 min.
-----------------------------------
9/26/07 (Wednesday)
-Music "In Car" (Augustana)
10 min.
-Music "In Car" (Augustana)
20 min.
-T.V. (Kid Nation)
1 hour
-----------------------------------
9/27/07 (Thursday)
-Music "In Car" (Augustana)
10 min.
-Music "In Car" (Augustana)
20 min.
-----------------------------------
9/28/07 (Friday)
-Music "In Car" (Sherwood)
10 min.
-Music "In Car" (Sherwood)
-----------------------------------
9/29/07 (Saturday)
-Music "In Car" (Motion City Soundtrack)
20 min.
-Music "In Car" (Motion City Soundtrack)
20 min.
-Movie (Knocked Up)
20 min.
-----------------------------------
9/30/07 (Sunday)
-Music "In Car" (Fall Out Boy)
20 min.
-Music "In Car" (Fall Out Boy)
20 min.
-T.V. (Gene Simons and the Family Jewels)
1 hour
-----------------------------------
10/1/07 (Monday)
-Music "In Car" (Better than Ezra)
10 min.
-Music "In Car" (Oldies Mix)
10 min.
-Internet (AIM,E-mail, Facebook)
1 hour
-----------------------------------
10/2/07 (Tuesday)
-Music "In Car" (The Fray)
10 min.
-Music "In Car" (The Fray)
10 min.
-T.V. (Mythbusters)
30 min.
-Internet (E-mail, Facebook)
1 hour
-----------------------------------
10/3/07 (Wednesday)
-Music "In Car" (Better than Ezra)
10 min.
-Music "In Car" (Better than Ezra)
20 min.
-----------------------------------
10/4/07 (Thursday)
-Music "In Car" (Sherwood)
10 min.
-Music "In Car" (Sherwood)
20 min.
-T.V. (Last Comic Standing)
30 min.
-T.V. (Grey's Anatomy)
1 hour
-----------------------------------
Responses:
*For answering these questions, I'll be looking at both Music, and the Internet.*
1.)The target audience or recipient for music (especially played in the car)would be almost anyone with a radio in their car. Most people drive while listening to music, and thus, music yields a large audience, however, depending on the type of music you're listening to the target might change. For example, in my case the target audience would most likely be teenagers. The same goes for the Internet. Although a large audience uses the Internet, sites such as Facebook, and devices such as AIM tend to target a more teenage based audience.
2.) The people interact and relate to each other by being able to relate to the music they listen to, along with the people and friends they have that also like the same kind of music as them. And people are able to interact through the internet and services such as Facebook, and AIM by being able to directly talk to one another by using these devices, and being able to look at people's profiles on both their Facebook, and AIM and find out how much alike that person is or isn't to them.
3.) The values that are held in high esteem by the people and these two programs in general would be closeness, understanding, being social, and not being afraid to show who you really are and what you're truly interested in.
4.) If a foreign student were to analyze these programs like I am, they might conclude that American culture is largely based around the idea of constantly having to be in touch with other people, and talk to them none stop. They might assume that Americans spend a great deal of their time talking to other people around their age online, and listen to music all the time, especially while driving. And they might make the conclusion that American culture is largely run by the media and it's numerous sources.
5.) The core appeal of these programs would be (for music) being able to have control of what you listen to, and have the option of listening to music while you drive, giving the consumer the feeling of a relaxing atmosphere no matter where they listen to the music. For instance, music is heard playing everywhere...the mall, stores, restaurants, and more!!! As far as the Internet and services such as Facebook and AIM go the appeal of these programs would be the idea of being able to talk to peers and friends without having to pick up a phone, or drive over to see them. It offers consumers another option/type of communication, and allows people to relate and connect with one another without the sometimes awkward, everyday face to face conversations.
6.)The values promoted through music and the internet contrast with the Anglo-Saxon value system presented in Beowulf in that such programs value the evidence of media in and around our everyday lives, and provide a quicker way for communication, where as in Saxon times media was not half as present as it is today, and people either had to talk face to face,or through letters in order to communicate with one another. However, both the Anglo-Saxons and America culture today seem to value the idea of being social amongst your peers and friends and finding a way to create similarities between one another through the activities that people take part in (in a way giving both the Saxons and Americans their very own personal profiles, whether displayed through a song, over a screen, or just simply through who they really are.)
Tuesday 9/23- During SSR I read a Cosmo Girl Magazine. When i got home from school I went onto the internet and read the news headlines. At night I watched General Hospital on Soapnet.
Wednesday 9/24-javascript:void(0)
Publish Your Comment During SSR I read a Seventeen Magazine. After practice I watched the 5 o'clock news. At night I watched the 11 o'clock news.
Thursday 9/25- In the morning I woke up to Sportscenter on my Television. After Practice i went online and read my homepage of comcast.
Friday 9/26- I watched the morning news at 6:30 on channel 7. At night I watched General Hospital.
Saturday 9/26- Saturday morning I watched Spongebob SquarePants. At night I watched Saturday Night Live.
Sunday 9/27- I watched Dora the Explorer in the morning. During the day I watched Red Sox game.
Monday 9/28- I watched the 6 o'clock news on channel 5. At 10 I watched the Hills on MTV.
Tuesday 9/29- In the morning I watched SportsCenter. After practice I came home and read Cosmo Girl. At night I watched Degrassi.
Wednesday 9/30- When I came home from practice I read People Magazine. Then I watched the 6 o'clock news. At 10 o'clock I watched General Hospital.
Thursday 10/1- I went on the internet when I got home from practice. Then at night I watched several episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Prominent Pop Culture Items: Cosmo Magazine and the Internet.
1. The target audience that Cosmo Girl gos for is Teenage girls from the ages of 13-19. The internet's target audience is the people who subscribe to there service. The different types of news targets a wide variety of ages.
2. In Cosmo Girl there are many different interviews that are conducted by the magazine with different teenagers. They often take surveys for their magazine having to do with teenagers everyday life.
3. The writers of Cosmo Magazine feel proud that they are able to write such a successful magazine that is read by many teenagers across the country. Cosmo Girl puts appropriate topics inside their magazine, nothing is ever inappropriate. The internet is glad and proud that it is able to provide interesting news to the society about topics they enjoy hearing about.
4. If a foreign student viewed the source/ program they would realize that American culture is not what it seems. By reading the magazine they would realize America is focused on looks. By reading the headlines online then they would realize that American likes to see other people, like celebrities fail.
5. The core appeal for the magazine is to promote many different designers and apparel that interest teenagers. The core appeal of the internet is to get across to the country the news that is going on. By reading the magazine teenagers can get a alot of advice from things like dating to clothing. By reading the online news people gain the knowledge of whats going on in the todays society.
6. Back in the Anglo Saxon times the values were different then now. Now a days people are always worried about others rather then themselves. Today people are overly concerned about other peoples lives especially celebrities. Characteristics of todays heroes are completley different from the characteristics back in the Anglo Saxon times.
- Nadya Kaltsunas
Keith Kelleher
October 4, 2007
English D
Part: A
Sun. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat.
TV. News News Comedy central South Park HBO Red sox History of Metal
M
U
S
I
C
Day time radio in car A7X on way to school 3rd Eye Blind before school Rush on way to school Morning radio program 311 while driving camaro Radio while waxin car
O
T
H
E
R
Adds on the computer Newspaper adds and news Business adds in Attleboro center Food adds at work in Roche Bros. Billboard on 123 Rolling Stone Magaz. Morning news paper
Part: B
South Park on Comedy Central
1. The target audience or recipients are people who enjoy well thought-out humor that also involves vulgar language and some violence.
2. The characters on this show interact with each other mainly by making fun of their friends and getting into complicated trouble.
3. One value that this show promotes would be humor. The show values making light of other people’s religions and also makes fun of current political problems by using sarcasm.
4. If a foreign person were to analyze the program, then chances are that they are very offended. The program does not hesitate to make fun of all other ethnicities and people from countries such as Canada and Mexico. The foreigner also might make the conclusion that America has a lot of social, economical, and political problems. These problems are the basis for many jokes on the program.
5. From watching this program, one might learn of the mistakes and problems that arise in American society. Even though the program attempts to make jokes about such mistakes and problems, the problems are still very real.
6. The values promoted in South Park greatly contrast the Anglo Saxon values. To the Anglo Saxons, there is nothing honorable about ripping on other cultures and making fun of important governmental figures. Anglo Saxons would most-likely find some of the jokes humiliating and dishonorable to their country.
Music (System of a Down)
1. The target audience for a band such as System of a Down is people who enjoy a heavier and powerful type of music.
2. System of a Down relates to people by making connections through political insight and problems with war. Bands such as this have made entire albums based on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. System of a down creates songs that challenge our President’s reasons for going to war. Songs like “mesmerized” and “hypnotized” promote how Americans are supposedly mesmerized and hypnotized by propaganda and are left blinded by the lies that our government feed us “from the table cloth”.
3. Main values promoted by this band are defiance against government and to resist the lies that government leads its people to believe. Politics are held in very high esteem with this band in general.
4. If a foreign student were to analyze this band, then they would be led to believe that American society does have a lot of problems. This foreigner might draw the conclusion from lyrics that American way of life can be harmful to everything around it, including America itself.
5. You can gain from this band that they are trying to get their views out through music so we might stop and think about what is going on around us.
6. Anyone who promotes such ideas about one’s country would be subdued and looked down upon during Anglo Saxon times. Such resentment towards a country’s values would not be considered honorable in anyway in Anglo Saxon society. Since Anglo Saxons valued military pride in such high esteem, System of a Down would most definitely not fit in with that aspect of Anglo Saxon society either.
--I think my chart got messed up when I pasted this onto the blog.
9/23
~While eating breakfast/lunch I watched ESPN.
~I watched the football games all day on CBS, ESPN, and ABC.
~After the games I went online and downloaded music from Limewire.
~I listened to my iPod before i went to bed.
9/24
~I watched the news to catch the weather.
~I listened to my iPod on the way to school.
~During SSR, I read the Sun Chronicle?
~I listened to my iPod on the way to my game.
~I watched Black Hawk Down and went to bed.
9/25
~I watched the Weather Channel.
~Listened to my iPod on the way to school.
~Read Snowboarder Magazine in SSR.
~Listen to my iPod on the way to practice.
~Listened to my iPod on the way home.
~Once i got home continued to listen to music and finished my homework.
9/26
~Woke up and watched the news.
~Listened to WBCN 104.1 on the way to school.
~Read the Boston Globe during SSR.
~Once again listened to my iPod on the way to my game.
~Listen to my iPod on the way home.
~I got home and played Halo 3!!
9/27
~Wake up late and miss the news.
~Listen to mostly commercials on the radio.
~Read another Snowboarder Magazine.
~Listen to the radio on the way to practice.
~Listen to iPod on the way home.
~Play Halo 3 alot.
9/28
~Woke up watched the news.
~Listened to my iPod on the way to school.
~Read another Snowboarder Magazine in SSR.
~Listen to my iPod on the way to my game.
~Listened to my iPod on the way home.
~Got home and played Halo 3 all night.
9/29
~Slept very late and got up and watched MTV.
~Listened to some music.
~Played some Xbox 360.
~Watched V for Vendetta.
9/30
~Watched Spongebob.
~Played Fifa 08.
~Downloaded music.
~Went on Myspace and Facebook.
~Did my homework on the computer.
~Listen to music and went to bed.
10/1
~I watched the Weather Channel.
~Listened to my iPod on the way to school.
~Read the newspaper in SSR.
~Listen to my iPod before my game.
Questions
~Music~
1.The target audience is teenagers and anyone interested in music.
2.The people in the band react to the music and they play off each others energy and musical creativity to produce music. The band also interacts with its fans through lyrics.
3.Values like creativity, uniqueness, forgiveness, compassion, and loyalty.
4.That it is different and has a distinctiveness to it.
5.One gains insight on life and whatever one interprets from the music.
6.Most of the values are very similar because the music promotes the same morals as Beowulf.
~Video Games~
1.Lazy teens and anyone who enjoys video games.
2.People interact through online play and headsets.
3.There are no values, except maybe how good you are, which doesn't really count.
4.I think a foreign exchange student would think we are lazy and very lethargic.
5.The core appeal is that it is fun and a good time waster. The only gain is enhanced hand-eye coordination and that is about it.
6.The values are the complete opposite of Beowulf.
~~John Ricca
Brian Bettencourt
Day 1:
-Internet, variuos pop ups about Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, ETC, AIM
-Music: Incubus, Tom Petty
Day 2:
-Internet, pop ups, facebook/myspace, AIM
-Music: Incubus, 311, Tool, Steve Miller Band
Day 3:
-Internet: pop ups, AIM
-T.V./ Commercials: Spongebob
-Music: Incubus, 311, America
Day 4:
-Internet: Facebook/Myspace, AIM
-Music: Incubus, 311, Super Tramp
Day 5:
-internet: regulars
-Music: regulars, Genesis
Day 6:
-Interent: regulars
-Music: Regulars, Thin Lizzy
Day 7:
-Internet: Regulars
-Music: Regulars
T.V.: Spongebob, Fairly Odd Parents, Legends of the Hidden Temple
Questions:
Music:
1: The target audience would definately have to be younger people from age like 16-28.
2:The audience reacts to the music by listening and understanding the message.
3: Self confidence and self improvement are definate values expressed through the music, as well as some political views.
4: If a foreigner were to analize the music they might find that Americans have little trust in their government and the powers in charge. they would also find that Americans have confidence problem and need to be told to be self respecting.
5:The music has great appeal through it's beats and melodies, as well as through the lyrics and message. People love a good message expressed through catchy music.
6: The morals are similiar to Beowulf, in the sense that self respect is important, and self improvement is something to strive for.
Internet:
1: The target audience is teenagers 13 through 19.
2:People on AIM and Facebook are constantly talking and communicating news and information.
3: Popluaritu seems to be a valued expressed through the internet, and friendship as well.
4: A foreigner would find that, based on the internet, Americans are social people who communicate with one another for more often then is usually observed.
5: The core appeal is talking to friends and making new friends. If you don't talk to someone that often in school, but you would like to more, then get their screen name and talk to them while you do your homework.
6: The internet goes along with Beowulf, because of the expression of friendship and loyalty. Beowulf needed his friends when he couldn't handle the problems on his own. the internet shows how important friendship really is.
This is one of the weeks i was grounded for.....but i do have a life....
9/23
Internet - 2 1/2 hours
T.V. N.F.L. - 4 hours
9/24
Internet - 2 hours
Facebook - 10 min.
Myspace - 10 min.
E.s.p.n. - 1 hour
iPod - 20 min.
Movie, The Patriot - 3 hours
9/25
E.s.p.n. - 15 min
Facebook - 20 min
Myspace - 10 min.
A.i.m. - 1 1/2 hours
Radio - 6 hours (working)
9/26
iPod - 5 min
Seeqpod.com - 1 hour
Radio - 6 hours (working)
9/27
Internet - 2 hours
Facebook - 30 min
Myspace - 5 min
Radio - 6 hours (working)
9/28
Internet - 2 hours
Facebook - 30 min
Myspace - 30 min
T.V. Fresh Prince- 1 hour
Movie, Dodgeball - 3 hours
Red Sox - 3 hours
9/29
E.s.p.n. - 2 hours
College Football - 2 hours
Internet - 2 hours
9/30
N.F.L. Football - 4 hours
T.V. - 2 hours
Internet - 2 hours
10/1
Internet - 2 hours
Radio - 6 hours (working)
P.S. The questions are comming. I did not have enough time to finish
by Zack Schleicher
September 28 – October 4
Part A.
Day 1 – Friday September 28.
- Used the internet to look up Bill Gates for a project in Marketing (25 minutes)
- Saw a highlight tape of the 2007 season (10 minutes)
Day 2 – Saturday September 29.
- Watched College Football (all day)
- Played superman returns (45 minutes)
Day 3 – Sunday September 30.
- Watched NFL football mainly the Colts vs. Denver (all day)
Day 4 – Monday October 1.
- Researched business ethics for a project (30 minutes)
- Watched the Patriots dominate the Bengals (4 hours)
Day 5 – Tuesday October 2.
- Read ESPN Magazine on Randy Moss (20 minutes)
- Played Armored Core 4 (1 hour)
Day 6 – Wednesday October 3.
- Used the internet to get info on management (40 minutes)
- Played Armored Core 4 (20 minutes)
Day 7 – Thursday October 4.
- Checked myspace/facebook (30 minutes)
- Watched 300 (2 hours)
-----------------------------------
Part B.
The most prominent are NFL football games and ESPN Magazine.
1. NFL football targets to everyone around the world. ESPN focuses on people who want a more in-depth view of the sport they want to read about.
2. People hit each other in the NFL and ESPN Magazine gets the exclusive point of view and story from a certain individual.
3. Both values include having a positive impact for what you do, whether it is playing a sport or addressing a fan.
4. American culture is highly revolved around sports.
5. The core appeal for the NFL is to show a professional sport is played. ESPN Magazine goes further into detail on stats, scores, and interviews of players, coaches, and fans.
6. Where sports are highly valued in today’s world, fighting for your beliefs to achieve glory are valued in the Beowulf times. Glory is still what is attempted to be achieved in the end of both however, just reached differently.
Eric Olson
class E
A. 9/23-10/1
Sunday 23rd – Watched football with friends for the day and watched football by myself at night
Monday 24th – School, homework, work from 4-10, sleep (no TV. or media consumption)
Tuesday 25th – School, homework, work from 4-10, sleep (no TV. or media consumption)
Wednesday 26th –School, homework, work from 4-10, sleep (no TV. or media consumption)
Thursday 27th – School, homework, watch ESPN 3-5, internet (fantasy football/talk with friends) dinner, watched The Office 8-9, Red Sox game 9-whenever it ended, sleep
Friday 28th – School, work 3-6, Norton High Football game, with friends for the rest of the night (no media consumption)
Saturday 29th – Work 8-4, internet, out with friends for the rest of night
Sunday 30th –Watch football with family for the day, finished all school work, watched football at 8:15 until game ended, sleep
B. Questions about watching ESPN
1. The target for ESPN is anyone who has an interest in sports.
2. Anyone who watches ESPN can talk about any particular sport, or what happened in the world of sports over the last few days.
3. There are not many values that promote high esteem by watching ESPN, but you can gain lots of knowledge about sports, and learn what has happened within the world of sports.
4. If a foreign exchange student were to watch ESPN, then he or she would realize how much Americans care about sports. He/she would realize that sports are more of a way of life in America, and we value them very highly.
5. The core appeal someone might gain from watching ESPN would be anything within American and sometimes international sports. They would also gain intelligence on what teams or players are making big names for themselves within the sporting world.
6. These values are vastly different from those of Anglo-Saxon culture and ESPN. Our world today is much different from the days of Beowulf. Values promoted by watching ESPN would have no affect or value to someone who lived during the Anglo-Saxon time, and the values gained during this time would have little to no effect on someone who watched ESPN on any given day of the week.
Questions about surfing the Internet
1. The target audience for the internet can by anyone who has access to a computer.
2. The internet has endless opportunities or sites where one can browse. People can interact on the internet by actually talking to each other and communicated through various instant messaging systems.
3. Any value you could think of is valued by someone who uses the internet. The ability to talk to your friends, do research, check your e-mail, download music, etc. are values that one can gain by using the internet.
4. If a foreign exchange student were to come to America to use the internet, they would realize how much America uses the internet. Most people use the internet everyday of their lives, and without the internet they would have no way to live their busy lives. They would also gain the important resources that the internet possesses, and they would realize why the internet is so popular in America.
5. The core appeal of the internet is to make everyone’s life in America easier. One can gain anything they want by using the internet. The internet has become the number one resource for all Americans to receive their information and accomplish tasks.
6. The values one gains by using the internet are much different than the values someone might gain during the Anglo-Saxon era. During the Anglo-Saxon era there was no need for the internet. Life didn’t revolve around the internet as it has today. Media consumption was the last thing someone during the Anglo-Saxon ear would care about, and today that’s the first thing that the internet promotes.
Brianna Cote
Media Log
Monday, Sept. 24
Dancing With the Stars
The Hills
2 hours online
1 hour of music
Tuesday, Sept. 25
Dancing With the Stars
1 ½ hours online
1 hour of music
Read one magazine
Wednesday, Sept. 26
Dancing With the Stars
Gossip Girl
Dirty Sexy Money
Private Practice
1 hour online
1 hour of music
Thursday, Sept. 27
Survivor
Grey’s Anatomy
CSI
2 hours online
1 hour of music
Friday, Sept. 28
3 hours of television
2 hours online
1½ hours of music
Saturday, Sept. 29
4 hours of television
1½ hours online
1 hour of music
Sunday, Sept.30
3 hours of television
2 hours online
2 hours of music
Monday, Oct. 1
Dancing With the Stars
The Hills
2 hours online
1 hour of music
1. The target audience for Grey’s Anatomy is teens and adults. The internet can be for anyone but is mainly targeted towards teens.
2. The characters on Grey’s Anatomy mainly interact with each other through their jobs as doctors. On the internet, people can communicate in many ways such as through e-mail or instant messaging.
3. The characters on Grey’s Anatomy don’t necessarily promote the most moral values because they are usually caught up in relationships. As doctors, they express better values and usually seem to have the best interest of the patient in mind. On the internet, a wide variety of things are available to a person which is not always the best.
4. A foreign person would probably not have the most accurate image of America. After watching Grey’s Anatomy or searching the internet, a person would most likely believe that our country has low morals and values.
5. The core appeal of Grey’s Anatomy is the drama and entertainment. Most people watch it as a source of amusement. The internet can be used in a multitude of ways. It can be used as a search engine, a means of communication, or a source of pleasure.
6. The values promoted in Grey’s Anatomy and on the internet mainly contrast with those of the Anglo-Saxons. Although Grey’s Anatomy sometimes shows bravery and honor through the doctors, it and the internet mainly put forth more superficial values.
Day 1: 9-23 Sunday
Went on aim for 30 min.
Drove to work 15 mins.listened to 93.3, 106.7 107.9
Drove home 15 mins. Listened to mix cd
Looked on edline blog of Mr. Barth 10 min.
Listened to 93.3 for half hour while going to sleep
Day 2: 9-24 Monday
Drove to school 10 min. listened to 92.9 93.7
Listened to mp3 player for 30 min on way to medfield game
Watched prison break 10 min ending then watched Invisible Child for 1 hour
Listened to 93.3 for half hour while going to sleep
Day 3: 9-25 Tuesday
Listened to 92.9 93.7 for 20 min. while driving to doctors
Listened to 107.9 20 min. on way back
Watched an hour of a Lifetime movie
Listened to 93.3 for half hour while going to sleep
Day 4: 9-26 Wednesday
Listened to mix cd on way to school
Listened to mix cd on way home from school
Wacthed repeats of one tree hill and the o.c on t.v for 2 hours
Went on edline for 10 min.
Went on aim for 20 min.
Listened to 93.3 for 20 min. while going to sleep
Day 5: 9-27 Thursday
Listened to mix cd 10 min way to school
Listened to ipod during 2-d for an hour
Watched beverly hills 90210 for two hours
Listened to 93.3 for 20 min. while going to sleep
Day 6: 9-28 Friday
Listened to 10 min of 107.9 on way to school
Watched one tree hill for an hour
Listened to cd while warming up for my game 13 min.
Listened to radio for 10 min while driving home
Listened to 93.3 while going to sleep
Day 7 9-29 Saturday
Went online for 1 hour on aim and myspace
Watched lifetime channel for two and a half hours
Listened to mix cd while driving to mall
Listened to mix cd on way home for mall
One Tree Hill is like a teenage soap. It has real life drama and involves high school students. The main target audience it is trying to reach is to high school students. I think girls are more likely to watch this show. Most of the problems occuring on this show occur in real life just not as dramatic. It can make the audience watching it think that their problems are not quite as badly as those on the t.v. Its mainly who is dating who and who cheated on the math test. It also deals with problems of great importance such as school shootings and how all the students dealt with everything going on. It can really help someone watching this show to cope with their own life problems.
Music is a major part of our culture today. There is music everywhere, on the radio, in movies, on television shows even when you go to the doctors there is music playing. Different genres of music attract different types of people, its really all about what you enjoy. Different stations play different artists as well. Some style of music can possibly brainwash a human being, they listen to it over and over again and if they are a weak person then they might follow what the music says or even change their style of dressing to be more like the music. The artists on the radio are many of the celebrities that todays people look up to as their hero.
Jennifer O'Brien
Catalog for Pop Culture Consumption
September 23, 2007 (Sunday)
Watched TV – Random Channels 9:45- 10:15am
Read Newspaper and Sunday Ads 10:30- 10:45am
Listened to Patriots Game 3:00- 3:30pm
Listened to Radio on the way to work 4:30- 4:45pm
Watched Merchants of Cool 10:25- 11:30pm
September 24, 2007 (Monday)
Read Bulletin Board for Senior Activities 2:15pm
Searched Internet – Fast Web Scholarships 5:40- 6:00pm
Watched How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Two and Half Men 8:00-9:30pm
September 25, 2007 (Tuesday)
On Internet 6:00- 7:15pm
Flipped through my Seventeen Magazine 7:15- 7:40pm
Watched TV 8:35- 9:30pm
September 26, 2007 (Wednesday)
Read Articles in various subjects during International Relations class 1:10- 2:00pm
On Internet 3:30- 4:15pm
Read Magazine covers/titles while bored at my Starbucks job 5:00- 9:30pm
September 27, 2007 (Thurday)
Flipped through the Sun Chronicle during SSR 12:55- 1:10 pm
Continued to read tabloid headlines at Starbucks 3:30- 8:00pm
Half watched The Office while completing my homework 9:00- 10:00pm
September 28, 2007 (Friday)
Looked at my Alloy catalogue 2:30- 3:05pm
Glanced at the Norton Mirror 9:45- 9:50pm
September 29, 2007 (Saturday)
On Internet 2:00-3:00pm
Watched TV after dinner 7:15- 11:00pm
September 30, 2007 (Sunday)
Read newspaper while eating breakfast 10:00- 10:20am
Watched TV 1:00- 2:00pm
Rented Epic Movie (really bad) 2:30- 4:00pm
Watched the end of the Red Sox game 4:00- 5:45pm
October 1, 2007 (Monday)
Read and set up free iTune downloads for Starbucks 4:00- 4:30pm
Watched PATS game while eating dinner 10:10- 10:20pm
Went on Internet 10:25- 10:40pm
**Everyday I also listened to the radio while I drove to school ( 6 minutes each morning) and drove home from school. I also listened to the radio every time I drove to work and home ( 9 minutes each way); mainly listening to stations 95.5, 104.1, 94.1, and 104.5 FM.**
Magazines and Sports shows seem to be the two most prominent forms of media that I was exposed to over the week. Both appeal to all age groups, but my taste in magazines leans towards fashion or tabloid style. The sporting events demand interaction; you get caught up in the excitement. Magazines are the opposite, more observation than interaction. Healthy lifestyle, team work and beauty are what are valued in them. Foreigners would probably relate well to these two media. They follow our celebrities and sport heroes in their own countries such as Madonna and Beckham. It’s universal. Entertainment value for me is the core appeal. Beowulf and his values are not represented by the two groups. Beauty and money are desired and sensationalized.
Lauren Southworth
English D
Joshua Kirkpatrick
October 5, 2007
English IV Honors
Media Log (September 23-September 29)
PART A
September 23
TV- 1 hour of ESPN Sportscenter
2 hours of NESN RedSox
1 hour of Intervention on A&E
Music- 20 minutes in car of 106.3
September 24
TV- 2 Hours of ESPN Sportscenter
1 hour of Knocked Up the movie
Magazine- 20 minutes of Dime Magazine
Music- 20 minutes in car of 106.3
September 25
TV- 1 hour of ESPN Sportscenter
Internet- 30 minutes on MLB.com
Magazine- 20 minutes of Dime Magazine
Music- 45 minutes in car of 106.3
September 26
TV- 1 hour of ESPN Sportscenter
Music- 20 minutes in car of 106.3
Ipod 30 minutes (Jay-Z, T.I.)
Magazine- 20 minutes of Eastbay catalog
September 27
TV- 1 and a half hours of ESPN Sportscenter
Magazine- 20 minutes of The Source Magazine
Shopping- 1 and a half hours at the Emerald Square Mall
Music- 20 minutes in car of 106.3
September 28
Movies- Went to see Superbad the movie at North Attleborro
TV- 1 hour of ESPN Sportsceneter
Magazine- 20 minutes of Sports Illustrated
Music- 20 minutes in car of 106.3
September 29
TV- 2 hours of ESPN Sportscenter
2 hours of NESN Redsox
Music- 1 hour of Ipod (Camron, T.I., Jay-Z)
PART B
ESPN Sportcenter
1. The target audience or recipient of the television show Sportscenter is young to middle age people, of any gender, of any race, of any social class. The show deals with almost every sport and every aspect of those sports, therefore, its target market is quite large.
2. There are stories of people in everyday life who play sports. Yet, primarily there is no relation to normal, everyday citizens. The show primarily focuses on professional athletes and their sports.
3. The show promotes qualities such as community service and dedication. Occasionally, they will reward everyday people who do a lot for their community or who endure life threatening diseases by granting them their dream of meeting their favorite sports stars through their My Wish series.
4. If a foreign student were to watch an edition of Sportscenter, they may question our reasoning for dedicating an entire television program to following professional sporting events. Yet at the same time, many European and South American countries take sports very seriously, so I guess it would depend on the student’s countries value of sports.
5. The main appeal of Sportscenter is to understand and keep up on all professional sports. The appeal to viewers is the wide variety and in depth reporting that ESPN offers on each and every game and sport.
6. Anglo-Saxon values may have some similarities to our country’s obsession with sports. The Anglo-Saxons placed high value on the warrior and usually a warrior was a dominant and successful soldier. Therefore they probably would have placed high value on competition and winning. But, they might also reject our country’s absolute obsession with being successful in sports and competitive events.
Dime Magazine
1. The target audience of Dime Magazine is young males and females of any race who are interested in everything basketball. The magazine covers every level of competitive basketball and every aspect of the basketball player’s life.
2. There are no characters in a magazine, therefore it would be extremely difficult for non-existent characters to interact with one another.
3. Some of the values held in high esteem by the magazine are the value of getting a good education, staying away from drugs and illegal activities, and having fun playing safe, competitive basketball.
4. If a foreign student were to read an edition of Dime Magazine, they would probably not be surprised or shocked in any manner. It is quite common in many parts of the world to have literature devoted to specific sports or activities.
5. The main appeal of the magazine is gaining knowledge of basketball and all of the aspects surrounding the game and its community. Not only does it offer articles from professional and collegiate players who offer tips and advice to NBA hopefuls, but it also gives accounts of community service acts accomplished by basketball players across the country, and many other articles involving basketball players and teams and everything having to do with the game.
6. Anglo-Saxons may view our complete fascination with a particular sport as excessive and unhealthy. They may view our obsession with being successful in sports as harmful to a wholesome and happy lifestyle. Anglo-Saxons would most likely say that our obsession with basketball sports would take away from our ability to care about and look after our other essential responsibilities like family, relationships, and community.
Part A:
Day 1
Internet: pop ups about different people such as Brittney Spears and Jessica Simpson, Facebook, and AIM.
TV: Law and Order SVU
Music: 311, Boys Like Girls, Avril Lavigne
Day 2
TV: America’s Next Top Model
Day 3
TV: America’s Next Top Model and Law and Order SVU
Internet: Facebook and AIM
Day 4
TV: America’s Next Top Model
Internet: Facebook and AIM
Day 5
TV: Law and Order SVU and America’s Next Top Model and Red Sox Game
Day 6
Music: 3rd Eye Blind, Counting Crows, Paramore, and Dave Matthews Band
TV: America’s Next Top Model and Law and Order CI
Day 7
Music: Boys Like Girls, Senses Fail, Killswitch Engage, and Jimi Hendrix
TV: Yankees Game and Red Sox Games
Part B:
1. America’s Next Top Model’s target audience is from teenage girls on to young women. Law and Order SVU’s targets audience is for young adults.
2. The people in ANTM interact with each other often because it is a competition. So generally the girls are not nice to each other. They interact while in the house together but they are really catty. In L&W the characters interact as most detectives would on a normal basis. Except some of the detectives get a little attached to some of the cases so they get quit irritable.
3. The values that are taught through ANTM is that models should loose weight if they are on the heavier side and that the modeling world isn’t just for dumb people. You have to do a lot more thinking than just posing. The values installed in L&W is that there will be justice in the world one way or another.
4. The foreign student would probably understand the model thing because in most foreign countries there are models that are just like that. All though the foreign student might not understand why we watch things like that. The foreign student probably wouldn’t understand L&W because if he comes from a place that doesn’t have that much focus on violence and rape than he would be a little lost in why we make TV shows about it.
5. I enjoy watching ANTM because it interests me. There is a whole different kind of way of earning money out there that is just based on beauty, pictures, and personality that is appealing. Because to see an average Joe win makes people that are normal have hope. I enjoy watching L&W because it’s kind of a thrilling show. The things in this show don’t happen in Norton so I escape to that world were they fight crime and catch the bad guy.
6. The values promoted in L&W are kind of similar to Beowulf’s values because the good guys win by putting away the bad guys in jail. In Beowulf the good guy does the same thing except he kills the bad guy. In ANTM the values are completely different; there is no reference to good guys and bad guys except for the girls with attitude. But besides that the core values of ANTM is to become the best model you can be and Beowulf’s core values say to become the best warrior.
Alicia S.
My questions
Questions
1. E.s.p.n. – The Target for this T.V. show is sport watchers, and people who love sports.
2. Fresh Prince – They interact with one another because they are all family in the T.V. show. They are a loving/funny family.
3. E.s.p.n. – There are no values really promoted. They only thing they promote is every popular sport.
4. E.s.p.n. – They might draw a conclusion that Americans are way to much into there sports because of all the riots and dedication Americans have to sports.
5. E.s.p.n. – The core appeal of the program is to reach sport lovers, and get them involved with sports. They gain the knowledge of knowing what is going on in sport in this day and age.
6. Fresh Prince – None of these values are the same as Beowulf. Beowulf is about a hero, and Fresh Prince is about a troubled teen.
Zack Schleicher
Day 1:
Sportscenter before work for 60 mins.
iPod on the way to work for 15 mins (Incubus,Say Anything)
Played Guitar Hero when I got home from work for 30 mins and played "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'" by the Rolling Stones
Football for 3 hours
Day 2:
Sportscenter for 15 mins before I got ready for school
iPod on the way to school(311)
Internet after school for 60 mins(AIM, Myspace, Facebook)
Football for 3 hours
Fresh Prince DVD's before I went to bed for 60 mins
Day 3:
Sportscenter before school for 15 mins
Saw commercials about the release of HALO 3 today
iPod on the way to school(Rage Against the Machine)
Left right after school to go get Halo 3
Played Halo 3 for about 3 hours before work
Got home and played for another hour before bed
Day 4:
Sportscenter for 15 mins before school
iPod on the way to school(Cam'Ron and Jay-Z)
Got home and played Halo 3 for about 2 hours until my mom got home
Internet for about an hour and a half(AIM, Myspace, Facebook, YouTube)
Halo 3 for another hour before bed
Day 5:
Sportscenter for 15 mins before school
iPod on the way to school for 10 mins(Incubus and 311)
Played Halo 3 for 2 hours when I got home
Watched The Real World and Newport Harbor(I don't know why)
Day 6:
Same as every morning...
Got home played Halo 3 for about an hour
Went to the football game then to Jess's house with everybody
Listened to my iPod on the way home(Rick Ross)
Played Halo 3 for about 10 minutes and then fell asleep
Day 7:
iPod on the way to work(T-Pain)
Watched the Pursuit of Happyness when I got home
Played Halo 3 for about an hour
Watched tv at Jill's house(Fresh Prince)
iPod on the way home from Jill's(T.I.)
Questions
2 of my most prominent culture items are Halo 3 and Sportscenter.
1.The target audience for Halo 3 could be anyone from the ages 17-35. Studies show that the largest age group of video game players are in their mid 30's. But Halo 3 is a mature rated game so you have to be 17 to play it. The target audience for Sportscenter is basically any age. It targest sports fans all across the country
2.In Halo 3, master chief is a Spartan who protects the world from the alien force known as the covenant. But I don't really play that portion of the game. I bought it to play on Live with my friends. In sportscenter, it's realyl self-explanatory. It shows highlights and news stories of different athletes.
3. In both Halo 3 and Sportscenter, teamwork is valued extremely. To become a good Halo 3 player you have to learn to work with your team and have a good leader. On a sports team, there is always a captain that has to portray good leadership for his teammates to follow.
4. By Halo, I think he would realize why America is the fattest country in the world. There is a counter that tells how many people are on Xbox Live playing Halo at one time. I've seen it as high as 1 million. But also from sportscenter, I think he would also realize that our country is full of amazingly talented athletes. He would appreciate the hard work Americans put into the things they love.
5. For Halo, the core appeal is the laughs and good times you have when you play it. I know me and my friends have spent endless hours playing it and its likewise for people all over the country. You basically just gain good times. The main appeal for Sportscenter is seeing the best highlights from your favorite athletes. It's also a convenient way to find out a score to a game you might have missed.
6.Master Chief in Halo is kind of a Beowulf. He is the leader of a group of troops fighting for something he believes in. Despite the odds of him winning, and the strength of the covenant, he still fights. Beowulf is exactly the same. The athletes in Sportscenter portray the same thing also.
Sunday (9/23)
Watched an hour of MTV, repeats of Newport Harbor.
Read/ study for Chinese for two hours.
Listened to Bright Eyes for 30 minutes.
Monday (9/24)
Read a few short stories by Graham Greene.
Read/ studied for Chinese for an hour.
Watched MTV/ The Hills for 30 minutes.
Internet (Facebook/ myspace) for an hour.
Tuesday (9/25)
Read/ studied Chinese for 30 minutes.
Listened to music for 30 minutes.
Flipped through various shows on TV for an hour.
Read Then We Came To The End for an hour.
Internet (Facebook/ myspace) for an hour.
Wednesday (9/26)
Read/ studied Chinese for an hour and 30 minutes.
Listened to various artists for an hour.
Watched America's Next Top Model and Gossip Girl which totaled two hours.
Read Then We Came To The End for 30 minutes.
Thursday (9/27)
Read/ studied Chinese for two hours.
Listened to an hour of music, mostly the Foo Fighters.
Watched The Office for an hour.
Went on the internet (Facebook/ myspace) for an hour.
Friday (9/28)
Listened to music (different artists) for about 30 minutes.
Watched MTV re-runs for about an hour.
Saturday (9/29)
Watched the movie Wolf Creek, which took about two hours.
Went on the internet for an hour.
Sunday (9/30)
Read/ studied Chinese for an hour.
Watched MTV/ VH1 re-runs for about two hours.
Listened to Incubus for about 30 minutes.
Questions:
My two dominant pop culture items are music and reading. I do go on the internet a lot though too. I feel that music and internet are targeted for all age groups. The internet is full of possibilities and is easily usable/ obtainable. Depending on your interests, one of the many internet search engines can find out information for you in seconds. Because of the internet's convenience, it's used regularly, especially in my life. Also, for teens there are web pages such as Facebook and Myspace which make it easier to keep in contact with your friends or scarily enough meet people you'd like to know. As beneficial as the internet is it too has downfalls. Some teenagers find these web pages as the perfect way to post racy pictures of themselves in hopes of attracting attention. The attention they gain, however, might not have been the attention they had hoped for. They don't realize that not everyone on the internet is how they say they are which can lead to harmful results if not careful. I believe a foreign student would be surprised by how dependent we are on the internet. We use it to gain knowledge (very rare), shop, keep in touch with friends, etc. America's focus is clearly no longer placed on Anglo-Saxon values such as honor and respect but more so on how many friends you have on Myspace.
Music too, is a target for all ages. Depending on age and taste there is something out there for you. Whether it's the beat or the lyrics, it's a way to get people to congregate, mostly at concerts. It connects everyone and in a world so obsessed with technology it's nice to be able to have some human contact. People's taste in music might differ but everyone listens to it, whether they do it on purpose or not; music is heard. For some people, music is an outlet; a way to express emotions. I don't think a foreigner would be surprised as to how much music we're listening to but rather what kind of music we listen to. Music is definitely composed of more provocative and violent lyrics than it did a few years back. People just need to be aware of that and not act on what some of the lyrics are portraying. Despite that, I think music demonstrates more Anglo-Saxon like values than the internet. Even though the artists aren't fighting dragons or villains, they're pursuing something they love and giving people everywhere an outlet to be able to release emotions. To some, that is what a hero is.
Jordan Penney
Part A: Media Log
Day 1- Tuesday 9/25:
*Listened to radio on way to school (15min)
*Read Cosmo Girl during SSR (20min)
*Listened to radio on way to work (15-20min)
*Listened to radio all day at work (5hrs)
Day 2- Wednesday 9/26:
*Listened to radio on way to school (15min)
*Read Cosmo Girl during SSR (20min)
*Searched the web during mulitmedia (20min)
*Listened to music at dance (1hr)
Day 3- Thursday 9/27:
*Listened to radio on way to school (15min)
*Read Cosmo Girl during SSR (20min)
*Listened to radio all day at work (5hrs)
Day 4- Friday 9/28:
*Listened to radio on way to school (15min)
*Read Cosmo Girl during SSR (20min)
*Listened to radio all day at work (5hrs)
*Downloaded music from Limewire and listened to itunes (2hrs)
Day 5- Saturday 9/29:
*Listened to radio going to Wrentham Outlets (25min)
*Listened to Prospect Hill Cd twice going into Boston (1.5hrs)
*Watched bands perform at Club Axis (5hrs)
*Listened to radio on way home (1hr)
Day 6- Sunday 9/30:
*Listened to radio on way to work (15-20min)
*Listened to radio all day at work (7hrs)
*Listened to radio on way home (15-20min)
Day 7- Monday 10/1:
*Listened to radio on way to school (15min)
*Read Cosmo Girl during SSR (20min)
*Listened to radio on way home (15min)
*Listened to radio while baking a cake and cooking dinner (1.5hrs)
*Watched some of the Patriots' game (1hr)
Part B: Questions
MUSIC and MAGAZINES:
1. The music I listened to varied throughout the week. While I was at work I mostly listened to 94.5, so the target audience would be teenagers. Also the concert I had gone to was an all ages concert but the main target audience was people over the age of 21. The target audience of the magazines i read, Cosmo Girl, is for girls around the age of 17 and 18.
2. People and music always interact because everyone can relate to music and songs, and mostly lyrics. Girls can relate to Cosmo Girl very easily becuase the editors and creators of Cosmo Girl have real girls write stories about events that actually occured to them.
3. Some values that are expressed in both are that people shouldnt be afraid to espress themselves and show who they really are.
4. A foreign student would analyze that the American culture revolves around media and entertainment.
5. When listening to music and reading magazines you gain the sense of expression and self respect.
6. The values compare to those of the Anglo-Saxon's because they always believed in one another and where always there for one another.
September 24th monday:
6:35am-Radio-Toni Braxton
7:20am-Mp3 Player-94.5,108.9,106.3
4:00pm-Computer-check e-mail,myspace,look up song lyrics.
4:45pm-Magazine-Dance Magazine
5:00pm-Radio-94.5,108.9,106.3
7:00pm-Radio-Classical Music for Pointe class.
8:00pm-T.V.-Dancing with the stars.
9:45pm-Radio-Light rock and mariah carey cd.
September 25th,Tuesday:
6:30am-Radio-mariah carey cd.
5:00pm-Computer-check email,myspace
5:45pm-magazine-Pointe magazine.
6:00pm-Radio-Whitney Houston cd & Pat Benetar cd.
September 26th,Wednesday:
6:30am-Radio-Toni Braxton cd.
7:00pm-Radio-Classsical music for Ballet Class.
9:00pm-Radio-Christina Aguelera cd.
September 27th,Thursday:
6:40am-Radio-Christina Aguelera cd.
2:45pm-Computer-check emails,myspace.
3:30pm-Radio-94.5
5:00pm-Radio-Italian music at work.
September 28th,Friday:
6:40am-Radio-94.5
2:45pm-Radio-Whitney Houston cd & the matrix soundtrack.
September 29th,Saturday:
11:30am-Radio-94.5,108.9,106.3
7:30pm-T.V.-Hostel
12:30am-T.V.-Saw 2
September 30th,Sunday:
9:30am-Computer-type essay.
9:30am-Radio-94.5
4:00pm-Radio-Italian music at work.
October 1st,Monday:
6:30am-Radio-Toni Braxton cd.
6:15pm-Radio-Classical music in Pointe class.
9:30pm-Radio-94.5,106.3
1.Mostly geared towards teens and woman in their twenties.
2.Mariah Carey,Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton have many songs that relate to love.Whether it's breaking up or making up.
3.By writing and singing these love songs,emotionally they have let go of alot of past relationships .These songs have also helped many others overcome their relationship problems or helped them to enjoy the relationships they have been in.
4.If a foreiner were to analyze my media log he/she would find that i listen to alot of music throughout the day.
5.The core appeal of some of the music i listen to is to mostly help get over bad or not so good things that have happened in life.
~Iris Brown Block E
Part A
Monday September 24,
-Music: Incubus
-Tv: 2 1/2 Men and That 70's show
Tuesday September 25,
-Music: Incubus (in car) iTunes on shuffle (at home)
-Tv: Drake&Josh, Hannah Montana, Sox Game
-Computer: 2 hours, Pre-Calc homework and AIM
Wednesday September 26,
-Music: Incubus
-Tv: Sox Game, Rock of Love, Rocky III
Thursday September 27,
-Music: iPod on shuffle
-Tv: Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana, Gilmore Girls
-Computer: 1 hour, English&Pre-Calc homework and AIM
Friday September 28,
-Music: iPod on shuffle
-Computer: 10 minutes, check facebook and myspace
Saturday Septem 29,
-Music: 2 Mix CD's, Make Yourself CD, and iPod on shuffle (car for 4 hours)
-Tv: Suite Life of Zack and Cody
-Movies: Are we done yet? and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
Sunday September 30,
-Music: iPod on shuffle
-Tv: Rock of Love twice (2 hours), Sox Game
Part B
1.- The target audience for tv, I would definetly have to say anywhere from 5-18 year olds. Keep in mind, most of the tv I tend to watch is disney channel. :] The target audience for my music, mostly 16-25 year olds, I listen to a lot of rock.
2.- Well, the characters in the disney tv shows are always happy in the end because someone usually does something really heart felt or something along those lines.
3.- The values in all disney channel shows are generally to be a person with a good heart, to be a good friend, and to always be happy about who you are.
4.- They would probably say that it was a very good tv show, but it was meant for children, which it is, it just get's addicting. They would probably also meantion that they would pretty much always happy.
5.- I feel like, when a child watches say, Hannah Montana, they realize that the reason why she hides her identity, is so she can live a normal life, and she'll have true friends, not people who are just friends with her to use her for her fame.
6.- The values promoted on disney channel, say Hannah Montana, is that people honor and respect her for her values and morals just like Beowulf. Sure they may be honored and respected for two completely different things, but the most important part was they are great, true leaders.
Ashley LaRochelle
Class: E
10/7/07 (Day Late)
Part A
Sunday 9/23
3 hrs. of music
2 hrs. online
Monday 9/24
Dancing with the Stars
The Hills
Life with Ryan
2 hrs. online
2 hrs of music
Tuesday 9/25
SSR-Cosmo Girl Magazine
1 hr. music
1 hr. online
John and Kate Plus 8
Wed. 9/26
2 hrs. online
2 hrs. music
Thursday 9/27
CSI
The Office
1 hr. music
1 hr. online
Friday 9/28
3 hrs. online
4 hrs. music
Saturday 9/29
2 hrs. online
2 hrs. music
Sunday 9/30
3 hrs. online
2 hrs. music
Monday 10/1
2 hrs. music
3 hrs. online
Part B
Two of my prominent popular pop culture items are the internet and music. These two items of pop culture greatly influence my life and everyone’s life each and every day. The internet does not have a specific target audience nor a specific age group. It lures people in of all ages with thrilling video games, web sites, blogs, news, music, chat rooms, and anything else you can find on the search engine. You can go anywhere you want at anytime. The internet seems to be controlling our society and future. The values children are absorbing from the internet are not healthy. If a foreign student were to analyze our use of the internet, they would be appalled at how much time we take out of our lives to glue ourselves to a tiny bright screen and key board. They would probably also agree that the internet is taking over America and will continue to do so, stripping us from our values and morals. There isn’t really a core appeal to the internet. You can literally get any source of information in the matter of seconds by just clicking one button. The internet is a fast, easy, reliable way to receive knowledge. However, the values that a person receives from the internet differs greatly from those of the Anglo-Saxon value system presented in Beowulf. With all its web sites that you can personally design and change at anytime, people are being exposed to honor and respect but for the wrong reasons. They are no longer focused on our heros, but rather how to better their myspace or facebook page.
Music also targets everyone of every age group. There’s all different varieties of music to fit anyone’s taste. Many people relate music lyrics to their own personal life. Musicians often write about their own life struggles so their listeners can connect with the song. With the media, internet, and concerts, people are always being exposed to music. Music promotes so many different things, whether it be respect, gratitude, happiness or depression, hate or violence. If a foreign exchange student were to see how much music affects our culture in America I don’t think they would be shocked. Music is heard all around the world. Promoting the exact same thing no matter what language it’s in. The beats and emotions are all the same no matter where you are. That’s the beauty of music. You can relate to it and express yourself. That’s the core of music. You can say that music offers the same values as the Anglo-Saxon value system does. You can gain honor and respect from music as well as heroism. These values are the same values presented in Beowulf.
-Brielle Bowman
D, Class
Media Log-Katherine Amara
9-23
• Listened to music (Radio) for about an hour
• Watched the movie Disturbia
9-24
• Watched TV (What I like about you) for an hour
• Watched the news
9-25
• Went online for a half hour
• Listened to music (Ramallah, Donnybrook) for the half hour that I was on the computer
• Watched the news
9-26
• I read for about a half hour (The Tenth Circle by: Jodi Picoult)
9-27
• Listened to the radio on the way to school
• Watched an hour of TV (Scrubs)
• Read for about 20 minutes
• The radio was on for two hours at the gym
9-28
• Listened to the radio on the way to school and home from school
9-29
• Listened to the radio on the way to work and back from work
• Watched random tv when I got home, no specific channel
1. The target audience for the news is anyone who is interested in what is going on today. It is aimed at a mature crowd, mostly adults. The radio targets more at younger people such as teenagers. The television shows that I watched are more for people who enjoy humor.
2. Most of the things that I watch on television, with the exception of the news, is just for humor, I don’t watch any real serious television shows. The same applies for the radio. The news and the reading is the only thing that is serious.
3. The humor in TV kind of just pushes aside values. The only purpose of a funny television show is to seem funny to an audience, values don’t seem to play a role in that.
4. They probably would think that all of the American culture are bad people, because all of the music I listen to involves violence and fighting, all the TV shows don’t have morals in them, and the news will disgust anyone whether you are an American or not.
5. The whole appeal to the programs I watch are just because it’s funny. The only thing that I really get out of many of the shows that are on television is just a good laugh at the end of the day.
6. Beowulf is a story that has a completely different purpose than the shows I watch today. If I was watching serious shows, then maybe some of those core values would be demonstrated, but personally, I don’t spend my time watching television that much, and I don’t find it appealing when I have to watch a group of characters teach me a lesson like Beowulf might. I know right from wrong and it gets old to watch good morals and values on television. I would rather stick to the humorous shows, even if they don’t display the same values that Beowulf did.
Day 1
Wake up and watch sports center for 30 minutes
Listen to stereo in my room (Incubus, The Who, Guns and Roses)
Watch football on channel 4
Went to see Mr. Woodcock
Listen to radio on way home (95.5)
Watch blades of Glory as sleeping
Day 2
Listen to radio on way to school (95.5, 107.9, 100.7,)
Listen to ipod on way to Medfield (Incubus, Aerosmith, Snoop Dogg)
Go online (AIM, Facebook, Google)
Read Sports Illustrated
Went to McDonalds
Watched Family Guy for an hour on TBS
Watched Blades of Glory as Sleeping
Day 3
Watch channel 4 news for about 20 minutes
Went to Dunkin Donuts
Go online (Google, edline)
Watch amazing TV in Cafeteria
Listen to Snoop Dogg before soccer
Go on AIM for an hour
Watched Blades of Glory as Sleeping
Day 4
Go to Dunkin Donuts
Went to Hess
AIM for 30 minutes
Watched Family guy on TBS (2 hours)
Watched Blades of Glory as Sleeping
Day 5
Watch sports center for 15 minutes
Went to Hess
Facebook and Aim for and hour
Listened to radio for 30 minutes (95.5, 94.1, 97.7) (The Strokes, Aerosmith)
Went to Mall (American Eagle, Hollister, FYE)
Watched Family Guy (1 hour)
Watched That 70’s show
Watched Blades of Glory as Sleeping
Day 6
Watch sports center for 15 minutes
Went to Dunkin Donuts
Listened to my ipod (Weezer, Nickelback, Pearl Jam)
Football game at Westwood
Watched MTV cribs
Went to McDonalds
Day 7
Took SATs
Watched Notre Dame Football
Went to the Boston Circus at the Fleet Center
Rock n Bowl at North Lanes
Listened to Aerosmith, The Doors, The Who, Pearl Jam, 50 cent
Watched Knocked up as sleeping
My two most prominent popular culture items would have to be Sports Center and Family Guy. Family Guy targets a range of ages from 17-45. It’s rated mature so people are not supposed to watch it if they are under 17. However, it is targeted towards the younger teenagers by having various toys, cards, and other items made to promote Family Guy to younger kids. In the show, the people relate to each other awkwardly. Peter, the father is a very selfish, unintelligent man who has three kids: Stewy, an infant who is very shrewd and intelligent and has a very large vocabulary, a son who inherited his father’s stupidity and a daughter named Meg who is unloved by her father and is socially awkward. There is also a taking dog on the show (Brian) that is very intelligent as well. These characters interact horribly towards each other with continuous threats and many other random varieties. In the show, they promote the values of a satire. The show makes fun of the real world and does not represent what may or could really happen in our world today. They promote a range of things from drinking all the way to death. The show is not meant to be taking seriously and therefore has values that make the audience laugh. If a foreign student analyzed this program, he would believe that Americans shoot their neighbors, get drunk all the time, have low intelligence, etc. The show would lead him to believe that Americans are rash and immature. By watching this show, one will gain laughter. The show isn’t meant to be a true replica of American Society but a show to show how dumb people can really be at times. The values in this show greatly differ from the values of the Anglo-Saxon time. These values show immaturity and lack of self control. Beowulf had much stronger values that were true and powerful.
Sports center targets any fan of sports in the country. There is a variety in the age limit and is promoted to everyone. The people on the show interact and talk about the highlights of certain games and promote ideas for future draft picks and ways to improve scores in fantasy teams. If a foreign child analyzed sports center, he would think that Americans value their sports. He would see how people are influenced by announcers to believe that certain players are good and certain players are bad. By watching the show, a person may be able to have an opinion on a certain sports team or believe in someone else’s opinion from sports center. On Sports Center, the values promoted are persuasion and making stars and breaking them. Compared to Beowulf, these values are sort of related. People built up heroes as do the people on sports center. Some heroes can be too built up and others are not.
-John Cummings
9/24
~listened to radio
~checked e-mail
~went online
~checked facebook
~surfed the iTunes store
~watched ‘Colbert Report’
~listened to mix cd
~watched ‘The Hills’
9/25
~listened to radio
~watched ‘Family Guy’
listened to iPod
9/26
~listened to radio
~watched red sox game
~listened to iTunes
~listened to iPod
9/27
~listened to radio
~watched ‘Colbert Report’
~listened to iPod
9/28
~listened to radio
~listened to iPod
9/29
~listened to radio
~watched ‘Uptown Girl’
~listened to mix cd
9/30
~watched America’s Next Top Model
~listened to iPod
10/1
~listened to iPod
~watched ‘1408’
~watched ‘The Hills’
~watched ‘Life of Ryan’
10/2
~listened to radio
~listened to iPod
Music: The Radio
1. The audience is basically everyone
2. The radio show hosts are usually sarcastic and make fun of different happenings in popular culture/ discuss new music.
3. Being immersed in popular culture and keeping up with what’s ‘cool’ would be promoted by the program
4. If a foreign student were to listen to the radio, they would most likely think that all American’s care about is celebrities and what they are doing in their lives.
5. The core appeal is the music that is played, and the consumer has a station that usually pertains to their specific taste in music; for example, if one likes to listen to the newest and most popular music, they’d probably listen to Kiss 108 or 92 Pro FM
6. The values of the radio promote celebrities, while in Beowulf, many of the people of that day would not have been recognized walking down the street.
TV: The Hills
1. The target audience is teenagers
2. The characters live a somewhat lavish lifestyle, and are usually fighting with one another
3. The values promoted would probably be dressing with style, eating at the newest and coolest restaurants, and going to the most popular clubs every night
4. If a foreign student were to analyze The Hills, they might think that all Americans are obsessed with how they look, what kind of car they drive, where they live, etc.
5. The core appeal is watching other people live a lavish lifestyle, and watching “drama” occur without actually having to be involved in it
6. The values promoted by The Hills are very different from those promoted in Beowulf. Value and honor are not the main focus, but style and popularity are
Joe Mitchell
Class D
-Sunday, 9/23: Music (30 minutes), T.V. (NFL Games, SportsCenter, PTI, Around the Horn; 2 hours), Internet/AIM (1 hour)
-Monday, 9/24: Music (45 minutes), T.V. (Monday Night Football, SportsCenter, Around the Horn, Scrubs; 3 hours), Internet (30 minutes), Book (Road of the Patriarch; 30 minutes), Movie (Knocked Up; 90 minutes)
-Tuesday, 9/25: Music (30 minutes), T.V. (SportsCenter; 1 hour), Internet (30 minutes), Book (Road of the Patriarch; 30 minutes)
-Thursday, 9/27: Music (1 hour), T.V. (SportsCenter, Around the Horn; 1 hour), Internet/AIM (1 hour), Book (Road of the Patriarch; 30 minutes)
-Friday, 9/28: Music (1 hour), T.V. (SportsCenter, PTI; 1 hour), Internet/AIM (30 minutes), Book (Road of the Patriarch; 30 minutes)
-Saturday, 9/29: Music (20 minutes), T.V. (NCAA Football, SportsCenter; 2 ½ hours), Internet/ AIM (1 hour), Movie (Accepted; 90 minutes)
1. For music that I listened to, the target audience would mainly be people ages 14-30. For T.V., the sports-focused shows that I watched are directed towards mainly men ages 15-60. The target audience for the internet is anyone, and the book would be for people who are fans of the fantasy genre. The movies were directed towards people between the ages of 17 and 40.
2. People interact over the internet and AIM especially. They can instant message each other very easily.
3. In SportCenter and the other sports shows, people are respected for their athletic ability, leadership, and ability to excel in high-pressure situations. Hard work and perseverance are valued on these shows.
4. If a foreigner were to analyze American T.V. shows that we do here, they would get the wrong idea about what our culture is truly like.
5. The internet appeals to everyone, and helps people find even the most obscure information. You can find almost anything you want on the internet. The possibilities of modern technology are endless.
6. Values in Beowulf vastly differ from the values in modern society. However, they are similar to the values demonstrated and held in the highest regard in the sports world. Honor, pride, leadership, and bravery are also necessary for success in professional sports.
John Cunniff
Monday, September 24, 2007
• 6:30 – 7:00 TV The King of Queens: Doug took Carrie to a ski resort for a free weekend vacation (if they went to a four hour meeting about time-shares). Doug only wanted to go to get a free plasma screen TV, but he didn’t tell that to Carrie. When she found out, she was very mad. In the end, Doug and Carrie’s new “friends” were actually the salesman (of the time-shares) trying to sell them a time-share property.
• 9:30 – 10:00 TV Friends: Joey moves out of the apartment with Chandler and gets his own apartment. Joey doesn’t like living by himself, and wants to return to his old apartment, but Chandler already found a new roommate.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
• 2:10 – 2:15 Music Incubus
• 4:00 – 4:30 TV The King of Queens: Doug bought a motorcycle. Carry forbade him to get a motorcycle, but Doug won’t return it. Carry begins smoking so Doug will return the bike, and he finally gives in. Carry later buys the motorcycle back for Doug because she thinks he loves it. In the end, Doug tells Carry the truth (that he hates the bike) and Carry is addicted to smoking.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
• 3:40 – 4:30 Magazine ESPN the magazine: In the magazine, I read about the Red Sox, but I also some advertisements when flipping through the pages. One advertisement is for the Army. The advertisement is focused on recruiting members into the Army.
• 7:05 – 7: 50 Internet I went on the Internet and searched for a new golf club. I visited many different web pages, and each page tried to show why their products were the best and most inexpensive.
• 9:30 – 10:00 TV South Park: Cartman thought that he died and became a ghost and only Butters could see him. He did a lot of things to try to get into heaven once he “knew” he was dead. Butters’ parents thought Butters needed to mental help because he claimed he was seeing ghosts. In the end, Cartman’s friends were just ignoring him, and he wasn’t dead.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
• 9:00 – 10:00 TV The Office: Jim broke up with Karen, and is now secretly dating Pam. Michael hit Meredith in the parking lot, and she is in the hospital. In the hospital, Meredith is given a vaccine for rabies. Michael decides to have a rabies run to raise money. He got severely dehydrated during the race. Dwight killed Angela’s cat. He thought he was putting her out of her misery, but he made Angela very upset.
Friday, September 28, 2007
• 7:00 Advertisement I saw a Verizon advertisement at the South Shore mall. The advertisement was trying to make people want to switch their cell phone service to Verizon.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
• 11:00 A.M Advertisement At work, the Tweeter Center, I got a free shirt from Summer Jam. It served as an advertisement. On it were all of the tour dates and pictures of performers. It was promoting the Summer Jam so more people will see the upcoming shows.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
• 9:00 – 10:00 TV Sportscenter: Highlights from Saturday’s sports around the world were played.
• 2:00 – 4:45 TV Red Sox game: The Boston Red sox played the Minnesota Twins in the season finale. The sox lost 3 to 2, but already secured the best record in the AL
• 6:30 – 9:40 Movie The Green Mile: Tom Hanks plays a prison guard on death row.
Part B
1. The King of Queens episode where Doug and Carrie go to a ski resort.
The target audience is Doug and Carrie. The salesman and saleswomen try to work one against the other (Doug vs. Carry and Carry vs. Doug). No values are promoted in high esteem in the episode. In fact, dishonesty is promoted in the episode. If a foreign student saw just this episode and believed that all Americans were like this, he or she would think that American culture is based on lies. The core appeal of the program is to be alert and don’t fall for marketers tactics. Today, marketers will try to persuade anybody anything just to make a profit for themselves. This episode contrasts with the value system promoted in Beowulf. In Beowulf, honor, courage, respect, and virtue are promoted, and in this King of Queens episode, mistrust and uncertainty are promoted.
2. The Office episode where Michael organized a rabies run.
The target audience is everyone who can afford to make a donation. The characters of The Office talk about the rabies run and plan on what to spend their money on. Everyone has a say in what’s going on. A value that is promoted is generosity. If a foreign student were to analyze the program, he or she would think that America is a generous and caring country. Michael didn’t have to organize an event to raise money, but he wanted to help those in need out of the goodness in his heart. The core appeal of the program is to be generous if you can, because there are always those worse off than you. The values in this episode compare with the values in Beowulf because in both, the characters are extremely caring for others and not self-centered.
Thursday (9/27) --
~Radio to school (10 minutes)
~Radio home from cross country (10 minutes)
~Internet [myspace, facebook, edline (20 minutes)]
~'Grey's Anatomy' (9-10 p.m.)
Friday (9/28) --
~Radio to school (10 minutes)
~Radio home from cross country (10 minutes)
~Radio to work (20 minutes)
~Mix CD at work (5 hours)
~Radio home from work (20 minutes)
Saturday (9/29) --
~Radio to friend's house (10 minutes)
~Radio to work (10 minutes)
~Mix CD at work (8 hours)
~Radio to friend's house (30 minutes)
~IPod shuffle at friend's house (3 hours)
Sunday (9/30) --
~Radio to work (30 minutes)
~Mix CD at work (8 hours)
~Radio to friend's house (10 minutes)
~Radio home from friend's house (10 minutes)
Monday (10/1)
~Radio to school (10 minutes)
~Radio home from cross country (10 minutes)
~Radio to work (20 minutes)
~Mix CD at work (8 hours)
~Radio home from work (20 minutes)
Tuesday (10/2)
~Radio to school (10 minutes)
~Radio home from cross country (10 minutes)
Wednesday (10/3)
~Radio to school (10 minutes)
~Radio to Friendly's (10 minutes)
~Radio home from Friendly's (20 minutes)
~'Life' (10-11 p.m.)
Thursday (10/4)
~Radio to school (10 minutes)
~Radio home from cross country (10 minutes)
~'Grey's Anatomy' (9-10 p.m.)
('Grey's Anatomy' and 'Life')
1) G.A. -- Teenagers and adults above 13
Life -- Mature teenagers and adults
2) G.A. -- The main characters are a large group of interns and doctors in a hospital environment and they are all friends. There also seem to be a lot of love triangles.
Life -- The main character, Charlie Crews, was in jail for many years for a crime he didn't commit and he was let off with a large sum of money as repayment and he is a cop again, but many people are weary of him. Although his partner gets annoyed by him, she is still very appreciative of his good work.
3)G.A. -- All of the characters put their jobs before anything else, because the most important thing to them is the protection of human lives.
Life -- The characters put their lives in danger in order to solve important criminal cases. Also, Charlie Crews puts a large amount of time into solving his own case: he didn't commit the murder he was put away for, so who did?
4) G.A. -- A foreign student might think that all Americans are overly dramatic people who don't really know what love is and also don't really know what they want.
Life -- A foreign student might think that our society is full of murder and corruption.
5) G.A. -- The core appeal of the show is the 'what's going to happen next?' factor. Unfortunately, the only thing that the viewer really attains from the show is good entertainment.
Life -- The core appeal of the show, for me at least, is seeing Charlie Crews make progress in his own case. The viewer does not really attain much of anything rather than entertainment from this show either; however, the different shows every week have different hidden morals tied in.
6) G.A. -- None of the 'values' expressed in this show correlate to those of Anglo-Saxon Beowulf. No mention of love or passion was ever mentioned in the story.
Life -- The times have changed a lot since the Anglo-Saxon times, not to mention the fact that I'm not really into shows, movies, etc. about war or fighting, which was a large part of life in Beowulf's time.
Most cultures today in the world have a lot of the same values. Many that they value are honor, respect, courage and virtue. Although different cultures have the same values, they may not exactly look at them the same way. Here in 21st century America has many of the same values as the Anglo-saxons did but they are valued in different ways.
The Anglo-saxon vales are greatly showed in the poem of Beowulf. He was a hero to them, he showed honor, respect, courage and virtue. When times were bad and there was an enemy killing off all the people of the area, Beowulf gathered up his courage and fought the enemy. Beowulf was a leader, a hero to te Anglo-saxon that they showed loyalty to. To these men, war was a path to glory and Beowulf was their hero.
Today in the 21st century, the values are still the same, yet the heroes do not show the same qualities. The values are still the same in peoples’ minds yet they do not treasure them the way the Anglo-saxons did. The soldiers who are in the war fighting the enemies should be the heroes of today’s society, yet they are not. Today’s world looks up to famous athletes and celebrities as their heroes. Why do we look up to them this way? These athletes and celebrities are known throughout the world for what they do, always in the papers looking good but they do not show honor, courage or virtue. Half of them are not even good people, they do drugs or they are alcoholics. Our culture has the wrong mindset of what a hero really is.
The American cultures’ idea of a hero needs to be changed. People need to start thinking about the real qualities a hero should have. We do not promote a healthy value system at all.
Jennifer O'Brien
Mistake corrected
I am an NHS alum ('08) who, while reading about my old high school, stumbled across this blog. I find it troubling--and, dare I say, rather Orwellian--that I am able to read old classmates' essays here. Makes me glad I wasn't in this class.
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