1. Following the Crowd/ Conformity
Do people need to compare themselves with others in order to appreciate what they have?
Are widely held views often wrong, or are such views more likely to be correct?
Is there any value for people to belong only to a group or groups with which they have something in common? Is it always best to determine one's own views of right and wrong, or can we benefit from following the crowd?
o Steve Jobs [try not to use]
§ Idiosyncratic, individualistic innovator
ator§ In the 1970’s, Jobs, along with Steve Wozniak and Mike Markkula designed, developed, and marketed one of the first commercially successful PCs the Apple II series-
§ In the 1980s, Jobs was one of the first to recognize the commercial potential of the graphic user interface, and his innovative Gg developed the Is it more valuable for people to fit in than to be unique and different?
Are people more likely to be productive and successful when they ignore the opinions of others
Macintosh
§ In the 1990s, Jobs developed the first “interpersonal computer” with multimedia functions email system that could share voice, image, graphics, and video through email for the first time. replacing the personal computer and revolutionizing human communications and group work. Also, Jobs launched Apple’s astronomical success through his attentive obsession with aesthetic design, an aspect ignored by earlier computer companies who created unoriginal designs, creating Apple’s brand name appeal. Finishing touches/ close attention to design development= core of Apple’s success
§ Criticized Dell for making “un-innovative beige boxes”; Apple’s innovation compared to Dell’s lack of creativity paid off in the long-term. Although Apple struggled financially at first, Apple’s success surpassed Dell’s success and has become one of the leading companies of the 21st century.
o Frank Lloyd Wright
§ Revolutionary architect who is considered the “greatest architect of all time”
§ Fused Eastern and Western influences to create a unique blend of cultural inspiration.
§ Introduced Japanese prints/ art into American society
§ Developed “organic architecture”, a philosophy that designed structures in harmony with humanity and its environment.( Fallingwater= organic architecture) Became the architect of all aspects of the building- designing many of the interior elements of buildings such as stained glass, furniture, lighting.
§ His Usonian homes set a new style for suburban design that was a feature of countless developers. Many features of modern American homes date back to Wright, including open plans, slab-on-grade foundations, and simplified construction techniques that allowed more mechanization and efficiency in building
His Usonian homes set a new style for suburban homes- simple design in contrast with complex, older design allowed more mechanization and efficiency in building and in use
§ Usonian houses most commonly featured flat roofs and were mostly constructed without basements, completing the excision of attics and basements from houses, a feat Wright had been attempting since the early 20th century.
2. Following Authority
Should we pay more attention to people who are older and more experienced than we are?
Should society limit people's exposure to some kinds of information or forms of expression?
Can a group of people function effectively without someone being in charge?
Is it important to question the ideas and decisions of people in positions of authority?
Is education primarily the result of influences other than school?
Should schools help students understand moral choices and social issues?
· Social Activists who questioned/ rebelled against social barriers
Psychological research example - milgram experiment
Literary example
- Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Hester Prynne openly defies the sacrilegious Puritan Society and commits adultery with the town pastor.
- Although Hester Prynne wears an obedient expression, Prynne questions the moral standards of the uptight Puritan `society. As a result of her rebellious thoughts, Prynne recognizes the hypocrisy and bigotry of the townspeople, and she defines her own sense of right and wrong. For example, her red A makes her recognize that the town governor, Winthrop, has a sister involved in the dark arts and allows her to see that beneath the governor’s esteemed appearance, he is just as sinful as she is.
-LORD OF THE FLIES
-The Giver
The Crucible by Arthur Miller:
John Proctor committed sin, but realized his mistake. He then would refuse to confess to working with the devil. He was smart enough to question Puritan beliefs.
History example:
MLK/other civil rights leaders - challenged authority by using civil disobedience
Motivation and Success
--Hardship and Success
Do people truly benefit from hardship and misfortune?
Do we really benefit from every event or experience in some way?
Do people place too much emphasis on winning?
Do people learn more from losing than from winning?
Does true learning only occur when we experience difficulties?
Does being ethical make it hard to be successful?
Can knowledge be a burden rather than a benefit?
Is persistence more important than ability in determining a person's success?
Is the effort involved in pursuing any goal valuable, even if the goal is not reached?
(the reporter not the person)
- Hardship and Success
----Oprah Winfrey
FDR
John D Rockefeller (poor background v.s. millionaire)
JP Morgan
George Soros
Rothschild family
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Fables
The Tortoise and the Hare
(*these figures can also be used for other prompts. You just need to twist the analysis a little bit.*)
--Self-Expectation and Success
Do highly accomplished people achieve more than others mainly because they expect more of themselves?
Can people achieve success only if they aim to be perfect?
Is it best to have low expectations and to set goals we are sure of achieving?
Winston Churchill
In the Second World War, Britain fought against Adolf Hitler of Germany, and it appeared in the early stages that Britain would be forced to soon surrender. And yet a powerful British leader, Winston Churchill, gave an incredibly stirring speech to the British people, m of whom thought that they would lose. Winston Churchill said that Britain will fight to preserve its institutions and democracy. Britain would fight Germany against all odds. This boosted morale to a great extent, and indeed, Britain was one of the winners of thanye war. Surely without Churchill's high expectations, Britain could very possibly not have had enough morale to continue fighting. Here is an example of a way in which high expectations positively shook the course of history.
Frederick Douglass
A second character, one who lived several years before Churchill, is Frederick Douglass, a former slave in the nineteenth century. Most slaves in America at the time had no rights; many slaves simply obeyed their masters, demanding little of themselves. Douglass, however, was not weak and indeed strove to be the best he could b e. He learned how to read and write -- a task not often pursued by slaves at the time. He had incredibly high expectations of himself -- he got himself a job working as a caulker and was a jack-of-all-trades. Through his great demands he eventually achieved his freedom. If he had low expectations of himself, he most likely would not have advanced in American society. He would have remained a slave with low expectations of himself, as so many slaves in his time had.
Bethany Hamilton
Does fame bring happiness, or are people who are not famous more likely to be happy?
Are people's actions motivated primarily by a desire for power over others?
--Collaboration and Success
Is it necessary for people to combine their efforts with those of others in order to be most effective?
Are organizations or groups most successful when their members pursue individual wishes and goals?
Do people achieve more success by cooperation than by competition?
Google guys
The Wright Brothers
Apple and Steve Jobs
Andrew Wiles - the guy who proved Fermat’s last theorem, worked on his own
Bernie Madoff
OJ Simpson
--Quality or Quantity and Success
Do people achieve greatness only by finding out what they are especially good at and developing that attribute above all else?
Are all important discoveries the result of focusing on one subject?
Marie Curie
Hippocrates
Charles Darwin
Technological “Progress”
Does a strong commitment to technological progress because a society to neglect other values, such as education and the protection of the environment?
Are there benefits to be gained from avoiding the use of modern technology, even when using it would make life easier?
Has today's abundance of information only made it more difficult for us to understand the world around us?
Is the most important purpose of technology today different from what it was in the past?
Have modern advancements truly improved the quality of people's lives?
Do newspapers, magazines, television, radio, movies, the Internet, and other media determine what is important to most people?
Should modern society be criticized for being materialistic?
• Should society limit people's exposure to some kinds of information or forms of expression?
• Do images and impressions have too much of an effect on people?
• Can knowledge be a burden rather than a benefit?
• Is education primarily the result of influences other than school?
• Are all important discoveries the result of focusing on one subject?
Mona Lisa - effects of images
Consumerism of 1950s
Consumerism and materialism during the 1920s: The Great Gatsby
Brave New World
WWI
Arms race
Hitler
atomic bomb during WWII
-Oppenheimer (i am become death, the destroyer of worlds)
Heroes
Do we benefit from learning about the flaws of people we admire and respect?
Should we limit our use of the term "courage" to acts in which people risk their own well-being for the sake of others or to uphold a value?
Should we admire heroes but not celebrities?
Is there a value in celebrating certain individuals as heroes?
(You can use several figures from other examples...)
Tradition
Do all established traditions deserve to remain in existence?
Do people need to "unlearn," or reject, many of their assumptions and ideas?
Should people always prefer new things, ideas, or values to those of the past?
Do incidents from the past continue to influence the present?
Do memories hinder or help people in their effort to learn from the past and succeed in the present?
Is it always necessary to find new solutions to problems?
(You can say tradition = conformity = not being creative, and use the examples from success, innovation and challenge authority!!)
Extreme literary example of tradition: The Lottery
Also consider tradition as a commonly accepted idea (tradition may not necessarily mean culture)
Copernicus - Heliocentrism (as well as other scientific breakthroughs that changed our view of the world)
Loyalty and honesty
Should people always be loyal?
Do circumstances determine whether or not we should tell the truth?
Can deception—pretending that something is true when it is not—sometimes have good results?
Is it sometimes necessary to be impolite?
Is acting an essential part of everyday life?
Kite Runner
Lord of the Flies
Scarlet Letter
Huck Finn
Enron scandal
Nixon Watergate scandal
(loyalty = not challenging authority = tradition = not creative!!)
Hard Work
• Is it best for people to accept who they are and what they have, or should people always strive to better themselves?
• Do highly accomplished people achieve more than others mainly because they expect more of themselves?
• Is persistence more important than ability in determining a person's success?
• Is identity something people are born with or given, or is it something people create for themselves?
• Do people achieve greatness only by finding out what they are especially good at and developing that attribute above all else?
• Do people truly benefit from hardship and misfortune
• Is it best to have low expectations and to set goals we are sure of achieving?
• Is it better to change one's attitude than to change one's circumstances?
• Is it better for people to be realistic or optimistic?
• Can people achieve success only if they aim to be perfect?
• Is it sometimes better to take risks than to follow a more reasonable course of action?
Marie Curie (persistence)
Nelson Mandela (Both his parents were illiterate, but being a devout Christian, his mother sent him to a local Methodist school when he was about seven. From then on, he worked hard to achieve many other opportunities which developed his love of African History and Law.)
Helen Keller - born deafblind, but strived to learn language and eventually became a widely known author, political activist, and lecturer
Beethoven
Serena Williams
Winning
• When some people win, must others lose, or are there situations in which everyone wins?
• Do people place too much emphasis on winning?
• Do people learn more from losing than from winning?
• Is the effort involved in pursuing any goal valuable, even if the goal is not reached?
-Sports, soccer games such as FIFA World Cup Matches can often be corrupt
-Crusades (Christian side didn’t necessarily win a lot but they were exposed to new trade which allowed their local areas to flourish)
Happiness
• Do people need to compare themselves with others in order to appreciate what they have?
• Does fame bring happiness, or are people who are not famous more likely to be happy?
• Does having a large number of options to choose from make people happy?
• Are people more likely to be happy if they focus on goals other than their own happiness?
• Is it more important to do work that one finds fulfilling or work that pays well?
• Is happiness something over which people have no control, or can people choose to be happy?
• Do success and happiness depend on the choices people make rather than on factors beyond their control?
Talk about celebrities and unhappy lives, examples of Demi Lovato, Macklemore, Lil Wayne, Cory Monteith, etc. who have been hurt or have died due to the immense pressure of fame
-Having many choices doesn’t mean more happiness
Popular Views
• Can common sense be trusted and accepted, or should it be questioned?
• Is it better for a society when people act as individuals rather than copying the ideas and opinions of others?
• Are widely held views often wrong, or are such views more likely to be correct?
• Are organizations or groups most successful when their members pursue individual wishes and goals?
• Is it always better to be original than to imitate or use the ideas of others?
• Is it always necessary to find new solutions to problems?
• Is criticism—judging or finding fault with the ideas and actions of others—essential for personal well-being and social progress?
• Can people ever be truly original?
• Is it always best to determine one's own views of right and wrong, or can we benefit from following the crowd?
• Is it more valuable for people to fit in than to be unique and different?
• Are people more likely to be productive and successful when they ignore the opinions of others?
• Do we put too much value on the ideas or actions of individual people?
• Is it important to question the ideas and decisions of people in positions of authority?
• Do we tend to accept the opinions of others instead of developing our own independent ideas?
*popular views can be related to traditions, challenging authority and being innovative*
Teamwork
• Is it necessary for people to combine their efforts with those of others in order to be most effective?
• Is compromise always the best way to resolve a conflict?
• Can a group of people function effectively without someone being in charge?
• Do people achieve more success by cooperation than by competition?
*teamwork = not individual work/success = conform*
Marshal Plan
Making Decisions
• Should people let their feelings guide them when they make important decisions?
• Does planning interfere with creativity?
• Should people change their decisions when circumstances change, or is it best for them to stick with their original decisions?
• Are decisions made quickly just as good as decisions made slowly and carefully?
Ethics
• Does being ethical make it hard to be successful?
• Are people's actions motivated primarily by a desire for power over others?
• Should people always be loyal?
• Do circumstances determine whether or not we should tell the truth?
• Can deception—pretending that something is true when it is not—sometimes have good results?
• Are established rules too limited to guide people in real-life situations?
• Should schools help students understand moral choices and social issues?
Social
• Is it sometimes necessary to be impolite?
• Do all established traditions deserve to remain in existence?
• Is the main value of the arts to teach us about the world around us?
• Should modern society be criticized for being materialistic?
• Should people take more responsibility for solving problems that affect their communities or the nation in general?
*Social can be related to traditions, challenging authority and ethics.
Others (less clearly defined; separated by spaces)
Is compromise always the best way to resolve a conflict?
Should people choose one of two opposing sides of an issue, or is the truth usually found "in the middle"?
Is the main value of the arts to teach us about the world around us?
CAREFUL!!!!!!
Can books and stories about characters and events that are not real teach us anything useful?
*Video games might not be appropriate examples for SAT essays, neither are young-adult fictions
Can common sense be trusted and accepted, or should it be questioned?
Do people put too much emphasis on learning practical skills?
Should people let their feelings guide them when they make important decisions?
Can people have too much enthusiasm?
Do images and impressions have too much of an effect on people?
Are decisions made quickly just as good as decisions made slowly and carefully?
Should people change their decisions when circumstances change, or is it best for them to stick with their original decisions?
Is it better to change one's attitude than to change one's circumstances?
Is criticism—judging or finding fault with the ideas and actions of others—essential for personal well-being and social progress?
Does having a large number of options to choose from make people happy?
Experience
Do we benefit from learning about the flaws of people we admire and respect?
Should we pay more attention to people who are older and more experienced than we are?
Do incidents from the past continue to influence the present?
Do we really benefit from every event or experience in some way?
Can books and stories about characters and events that are not real teach us anything useful?
Does true learning only occur when we experience difficulties?
Do memories hinder or help people in their effort to learn from the past and succeed in the present?
Do people put too much emphasis on learning practical skills?
1. Steve Jobs (Apple Computers)
-Enter Reed College, an expensive private college.
-Tuition fees became a burden for his family, so he soon dropped out.
-He studied Calligraphy, which was a crucial experience for his later job with graphics.
-He invented Mac, with beautiful typeface.
-Founded Apple computers. Ranked no.1 for the most innovative company.
2. Michael Dell (Dell Computers)
-A hard worker, he landed a job washing dishes at a Chinese restaurant to earn extra money.
-Dell purchased an early Apple computer for the strict purpose of taking it apart and see how it works.
-Dell showed an early interest in Technology and Business; he started building and sellings computers in College.
3. Richard Branson (Virgin Records)
-Struggled in school and dropped out at age 16; He then started a young-cultured magazine called ‘Student’, which has $8000 worth of advertising.
-Started mail-ordered record company ‘Virgin record’. It expands to Virgin group that holds more than 200 companies.
-Self-marketing, Branson is known for his adventurous spirit and sporting achievements such as crossing oceans in a hot air balloon.
4. Donald Trump (Real Estate Mogul)
-Son of Fred Trump, a wealthy NYC real-estate developer, Donald Trump started to work at his father’s company.
-He was practically broke when he moved to Manhattan in 1971 after acquiring Old Penn Central for 60 million as his birth plan in NYC.
-He was eager to give tax concessions in exchange for investment at a time of financial crisis: turned the bankrupt Commodore Hotel into a new grand Hyatt and created the Trump Organization.
-Trump’s extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on ‘The Apprentice’ have made him a well known celebrity.
5. Dot-Com Boom & Dot-Com Burst
-A period of time when stock market in industrial nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the internet sector and related fields.
-Started with the internet boom, which refers to the steady commercial growth of the internet with the advent of World Wide Web.
-In early 2000, US Federal Reserve increased interest rate six times, and the economy began to lose speed. Collapse of the bubble occur in 2001, companies such as Pets.com failed completely. Other companies like Cisco has its stock declined by 80%.
P
6. Jack Welch (General Electric)
7. The Google Guys: Larry Page and Sergey Brin
8. Andrew Carnegie
Carnegie devoted the remainder of his life to large-scale philanthropy, with special emphasis on local libraries, world peace, education and scientific research.
9. Nelson Mandela
10. Augusto Pinochet
-dictator of Chile between 1973~1990
-leader of the military junta that overthrew Allende’s socialist government
-determined to exterminate leftism in Chile and to reassert free-market policies in the country’s economy (he had noble dream of increasing country’s wealth but hastily executed actions)
-privatization of companies lead to billions of dollars being extracted from Chiles economies by large multinationals: this actually resulted in an increase in poverty-- from 18% in 1965, to 29% in 1975
-charged with first human rights violation and abuse, then put on trial for tax evasion
11. 13 Days (JFK- Cuban Missile Crisis)
Long-lasting bitterness between USA and USSR, there was an increase in tension during the Cold War when Missiles deployed in Cuba were aimed at USA
POINTS TO REMEMBER (POR)
- Close the war: nuclear war broke out
- Patriotism: USA and USSR tried to gain global control
- Peace and tranquility: peace settlement
- Agreement and prevention: outcome of the negotiations was the creation of the Hotline Agreement, presidents could talk to each other
- Escalating severity, blockade, deployment of nuclear missiles, nuclear warheads in turkey that could bombard Moscow
12. s
-Noriega was former Panamanian politician and soldier who worked for the CIA and was famous for drugs trafficking money laundering.
-U.S. government agency had a relationship with Noriega turned a blind eye to his corruption and drug dealing but was arrested during the invasion of panama
He received $320,000 from USFG, but he insisted $10,000,000 instead
-The saga of Panama's General Manuel Antonio Noriega represents one of the most serious foreign policy failures for the United States”
POR
- Corruption
- USA policy failure
- Crime
- Power and will
- Undermining of authority
- Politics
13. Alberto Fujimori
A Japanese descent President of peru who famous for Uprooting terrorism and returning economic stability.
However, he was criticized for his authoritarian way of ruling the country (especially after 1992) and was accused of human rights violations
In December 2007, Fujimori was convicted of ordering an illegal search and seizure, and was sentenced to six years in prison
In April 2009, Fujimori was convicted of human rights violations and sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in killings and kidnappings by the Grupo Colina death squad during his government's battle against leftist guerrillas in the 1990s.
POR
- Consequence and result
- Crime and reason
- Social benefit and costs
- Law
- Political turmoil
- Accusation of human rights violations
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16097439)
14. Watergate Scandal
The scandal eventually led to the resignation of Richard Nixon, the President of the United States, on August 9, 1974, the only resignation of a U.S. President.
For break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C.
President Nixon had a tape-recording system in his offices and he had recorded many conversations which was used as evidence
The purpose of the scandal was never concluded
PORl
- Undermining of authority
- Perjury and fraud
- Politics
15. Enron Scandal (Sarbanes-Oxley Act)
-In just 15 years, Enron grew from nowhere to be America's seventh largest company, employing 21,000 staff in more than 40 countries.
-Enron lied about its profits and stands accused of a range of shady dealings, including concealing debts so they didn't show up in the company's accounts.
-When people found out their fraud, they started to withdraw their shares, and Enron ended bankrupt, causing people to lose their jobs.
Natural gas Energy company
Shareholders lost nearly $11 billion
POR
- Fraud
- Corruption
- Money and power
- The role of business funds in political campaigning.
- The extent of energy companies' influence on national energy policy.
- Potential conflicts of interest between consultancy and auditing work.
- The need for tighter regulation on financial derivatives trading
16. Smartest Guys in the Room: Enron (movie or book)
17. Wall Street (movie – CAUTION: Rated R)
18. Howard Schultz (Starbucks)
Poor family where the Dad was a truck driver
he received an Athletic scholarship to Northern Michigan University
He found starbucks after a visit to italy inspired him
POR
- Great company built up,
- Believed in virtues
- Quality over quantity
- Opportunity
- Took ideas from Italy
19. Michael Jordan
-At the age of 14, he locked himself into his room and cried because of being cut from his high school basketball team. Little did he know that he would end his NBA career with 6 NBA championships and become the greatest player to ever play the game. The discouragement of his failure was overcome by the stars telling him that he could do anything he set his eyes on. He sweated blood for oil, which would fuel his aspirations.
****** Steve Jobs - General info - Steven Paul Jobs - symbolic image as an idiosyncratic, individualistic Silicon Valley entrepreneur - pancreatic tumor, has continued to fight. Medical leave of absence since January - Individuality - in the 70s, Jobs, along with Steve Wozniak and Mike Markkula, designed, developed, and marketed one of first commercially successful PCs, the Apple II series - 80s one of the first to see the commercial potential of mouse-driven GUI, leading to Macintosh - $80m and several years research, the antithesis of most computers of its era - he is a pescetarian - criticized dell for making "un-innovative beige boxes" - finishing touches are considered the core with Apple. eg sleep indicator on MB follows human breath rate, 12 cycles per min (12-20 breaths per min is avg respiratory rate) - Motivation and Success - lost a power struggle with the board of directors in ‘84, resigning from apple, and founded NeXT, a computer platform development company - years of sluggish sales, laid of half employees, repositioned it as a software company - Apple bought NeXT, bringing Jobs back, in ‘96. CEO since ‘97. - My model for business is The Beatles. Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people. (60 minutes) - named most powerful person in business by 'Fortune Magazine' - Tim O'Reilly, technology publisher and pundit: 'Apple has been able to reinvent itself because it has what is, at bottom, an aesthetic vision, rather than one that is solely based on profit and loss.' - shares fell 23% in ‘08, but now are over 10,000% of value in 80s, 300% of ‘08 - technological progress - apple designed to enable people to express themselves - facetime ad shows the deaf soldier doing sign language with his wife. possible with phone? NOPE. - iPhone and other smartphones also enable communication wherever: people are never short of others to meet
****** Richard Branson - General info - Virgin Group: over 400 companies - Individuality - Branson School of Entrep: aims to improve growth in South Africa by supporting startups and micro-enterprises - Motivation and success - first venture, magazine called Student, age 16 - 20: audio record mail-order business - 22: record stores, Virgin Records - 5th richest in UK according to Forbes list of billionaires - has dyslexia and had poor academic performance as a student - Mandela "is one of the most inspiring men I have ever met" - Hero - Crossed the Atlantic in a hot air balloon, largest hot air ballon and first to cross atlantic
****** Larry Page & Sergey Brin Page always liked computers first kid in his elementary school to turn in an assignment from a word processor Ph.D. program at Stanford Brinn immigrated to the US from Russia at 6. top 10 richest in the world company motto "Don't be evil" SERGEY'S FATHER faced repression, Sergey's father stated how he was 'forced to abandon his dream of becoming an astronomer' due to Communist Party heads barring Jews from upper professional ranks by denying them entry to universities
****** Mark Elliot Zuckerberg and Facebook - lists his personal interest as "making things that help people connect and share what's important to them" - FB inspired by "The Facebook" from his prep school that he graduated from in 02 - Wired magazine, 2010: "The thing I really care about is the mission, making the world open" - Zuckerberg said "it's OK to break things" "to make them better" - also ran hackathons every 6-8 weeks - Vanity Fair magazine named Zuck number 1 on its 2010 list of the Top 100 'most influential people of the Information Age' - Winklevoss twins accused zuck of intentionally making them believe he would help them build a social network site called HarvardConnection.com - screenwriter of The Social Network Aaron Sorkin told NY magazine 'What is the big deal about accuracy purely for accuracy's sake, and can we not have the true be the enemy of the good?" - signed the Giving Pledge along with investor Warren Buffet, promising to donate at least half of their wealth over the course of time to charity
****** Peter Thiel studied 20th century philosophy as an undergrad at Stanford University co-founded PayPal, selling it to eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002 10% investment in Facebook during 2004 views on mgmt are highly regarded, esp his famous observation that start-up success is highly correlated with low CEO pay Thiel Fellowship, $100k to 20 people under 20 years old, to encourage people to start businesses instead of attend college
****** Daniel H. Pink what motivates - American writer, speechwriter and motivational speaker - in his book, Drive: the Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us - study. people sat in a room with either broccoli or cookies, told they can't eat it. then they have to solve an unsolvable crossword puzzle. those who were in the room with the broccoli persisted for 8 minutes longer than the cookie people - also: when people were given tasks and paid according to how well they did (crossword with prizes), performed worse. twice as good when not told about any reward - argues that money isn't the key motivator, autonomy and success are.
****** GFC govt used Building Education Revolution to 7 millions into schools solving the GFC caused by risky lending to the sub prime housing markets in america. the loans defaulted, and therefore funds that invested in those mortgages failed, and this spiralled throughout global markets Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief at Forbes magazine, noted that 'in 2006, the average CEO made as much in a single day as the average American worker made in one year'. 'we should be outraged' that the American government provided huge bailouts to these companies, only for the CEOs to then take enormous salaries.
****** Truman Show - directed by Peter Weir - Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank - chronicles the life of a man who is initially unaware that he is living in a constructed reality television show, and is being broadcast 24-hours-a-day to billions of people. - within the film, executive producer Christof controls every aspect of Truman's life - dissuades his sense of exploration by 'killing' his father in a rough fishing trip, instilling a sense of fear of the water - strange events such as a light falling down enable his realization - he tunnels out of his basement, and leaves after Christof speaks to truman through a sound system - religious themes - technological progress: exploitation of humans - ethics - 'cue the sun!' - 'i have given T the chance to lead a normal life. The world, the place you live in, is the sick place. - 'we can't let him die in front of a live audience! he was born in front of a live audience...' - MHM MHM MHM
***** Night Eliezer Wiesel, jewish teenager deported in WW2, with his dad, dad eventually dies 'never shall i forget that night' 'where is god? this is where, hanging here on this gallows' 'from the depths of the mirror, a corpse
gazed back at me' 'give me the strength to never to what Rabbi Eliahau's son has done' 'here, there are no fathers, no brothers, no friends. everyone lives and dies for himself alone' Kapo/prison guard to Elie The Nazi genocide was an attempt to wipe out an entire people, including all sense of national and cultural unity 'i did not deny God's existence, but I doubted His absolute justice.'
****** On the Waterfront TM: self-proclaimed 'bum' makes good by learning to act for himself disregards authority of his 'dirty, lousy, stinkin' boss, Johnny Friendly needs the collaboration of Edie and FB to solve this 'shouldn't everybody care...' 'which side are you with?' i'm with me, Terry 'Some people think the Crucifixion only took place on Calvary. Well, they better wise up! ' 'You want to know what's wrong with our waterfront? It's the love of a lousy buck. It's making love of a buck - -the cushy job - -more important than the love of man! ' Terry: If I spill, my life ain't worth a nickel. Father Barry: And how much is your soul worth if you don't?
****** LOTF William Golding - Ralph: protagonist. twelve-year-old English boy, elected leader. - reflects the civilizing instinct innate to human beings - Jack: antagonist. leader of the hungers. becomes wild, barbaric and cruel. manipulates others - embodies the instinct of savagery of human beings - Simon: shy, sensitive boy. connected to nature. brutally murdered after returning from a jungle group during their strange ritual - collaboration: failed to unite, resulting in chaos and death - ethics: jack and ralph fought for power over the others - conflict: need to choose one, not the other. 'we've got to have rules and obey them. after all, we're not savages.' Ralph
****** Stumbling on Happiness Dan Gilbert paraplegic vs lottery winner, after a year, both had the same happiness we adapt to our situations people with alzheimer's were told to choose paintings, and their ratings of the paintings changed - according to which one they were given to own, even though they couldn't remember that we won't be miserable even if we don't get what we want
****** Macbeth Macbeth: Scottish general, and the thane of Glamis. And then thane of Cawdor Lady Macbeth: his wife, deeply ambitious. lusts for power and position Three Witches: 'black and midnight hags' Banquo: will inherit the throne according to the prophecy of the witches King Duncan: virtuous, benevolent ruler Macduff: defeats Macbeth, after he loses his wife and son.
****** NBN to improve productivity for businesses. enables working from home, HD videoconferencing. revolution
****** Fight Club, David Fincher 'self improvement is masturbation' 'the things you own end up owning you' 'Like so many others, I had become a slave to the Ikea nesting instinct'
1) The Fall of Rome (476 A.D.)
· Themes of imperialism and over-expansion (the Roman Empire was too big to govern effectively and outer territories were not well-defended)
· Themes of decadence (the upper-class of the Roman Empire had so much wealth that they may have been complacent about the dangers to their empire; the oppressed lower classes who may have wanted the Empire to fall, as this would benefit them directly)
· Themes of leadership (incompetent emperors and military leadership may have played a part in the decline of the empire)
· Themes of civic duty (the spoiled Roman citizens began to hire more and more mercenaries to defend their borders – paid soldiers with no personal loyalty to the Empire. The Romans may have been better off if they had defended themselves, instead of paying and trusting outsiders to take care of them)
2) The American Civil War (1861-1865)
· Themes of slavery and freedom (one of the major causes of the war was the country’s division over the possession of black slaves and some historians see the war as one huge battle for human freedom and independence)
· Themes of divided brother/sisterhood (families were divided on the issues and often found themselves arguing or even physically fighting one another, in order to support their beliefs)
· Themes of authority and leadership (the southern states rebelled against Lincoln’s leadership and denied his authority over them; he was forced to go to war in order to reassert that authority and leadership)
· Themes of violence as a solution (the American Civil War is an historical example of violence being the only apparent solution to an impossible problem – reuniting a divided nation and asserting Lincoln’s presidential authority)
3) The Vietnam War (1955-1975)
· Themes of power and imperialism (the powerful United States was staging a self-interested, imperial, political intervention in a foreign country; many have argued that it was not our place to do so, and we should have simply let the Vietnamese choose their own form of government)
· Themes of fear and violence (fear of worldwide Communist takeover motivated a violent response: an armed military intervention in a distant foreign country)
· Themes of lost youth (the young male soldiers (frequently African-American) who were drafted to fight had little choice and were forced to risk their lives in a conflict that didn’t benefit them at all)
· Themes of exploitation by the powerful (it was mainly the poor males who were drafted; the rich and powerful politicians were looking out for their own interests at the expense of their less-powerful fellow citizens)
· Themes of “is more/bigger always better?” (The massive American army was still unable to dislodge the highly-motivated guerilla warriors of North Vietnam)
· Themes of belief/courage vs. impossible odds (The Viet Cong were facing an enemy enormously more well-armed and powerful than themselves, but believed so strongly in their cause that they refused to give up and eventually forced the more powerful U.S. army out of their country)art
4) The American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
· Themes of protest as a force for change (Both violent and nonviolent protests, like the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Freedom Riders, and sit-ins were effective in calling attention to the plight of black Americans, and also put economic and social pressure on existing institutions that encouraged racial discrimination)
· Themes of rebellion against authority (Rosa Parks, MLK Jr., and Malcolm X were all heros and rebels against the white establishment)
· Themes of human dignity and personal rights (African-Americans demanded equal rights as human beings, and refused to allow their human dignity and rights to be violated any longer)
· Themes of oppression (segregation was designed to oppress and control African Americans, and it worked for a time, but eventually it became unendurable and led to a form of uprising)
5) Woodstock (1969)
· Themes of art’s relationship to society (the music and lyrics greatly affected the society of the era, calling attention to the mistake of the Vietnam War and the equality of all human beings)
· Themes of youth (Woodstock was attended mainly by young men and women who wanted something “different” than the lives that their parents and authority figures were offering them)
· Themes of rebellion (Drugs, nudity, loud rock music, and escape from authority were all major themes of this massive music festival)
· Themes of idealism vs. pragmatism (Woodstock was essentially founded on ideals of youth, rebellion, and free thinking; however, because the festival organizers were perhaps not the most practical people, the festival was overrun by 10 times as many people as was expected)
· Extra: Jimi Hendrix shredding “The Star-Spangled Banner” on electric guitar (considered one of the defining moments of Woodstock; Hendrix called attention to the corruption of the once-pure ideals of the United States by incorporating violent and agonizing sounds into the national anthem. The electric-guitar version of the old-school anthem was a clear sign of the times and the upcoming social changes.)
1) Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare:
· Themes of revenge (think of all the revenge killings, e.g. Mercutio)
· Themes of following authority (both Romeo and Juliet defy parental authority)
· Works for themes of love (come on, this one’s pretty self-explanatory… it can consume us, redeem us, cause us to do things we wouldn’t otherwise do)
· Themes of friendship and loyalty (Romeo abandons his old friends to be with his lover)
· Themes of individuals against society (Romeo and Juliet again, engaging in socially-forbidden love)
· Themes of fate (is the lovers’ destiny already written, or could they have changed it?)
2) The Odyssey by Homer:
· Themes of temptation and duty (Odysseus and his men constantly indulge in minor distractions instead of continuing on their journey – e.g. eating the lotus fruit, or Odysseus strapping himself to the mast of his ship because he’s so curious about the song of the sirens)
· Themes of faithfulness and trust (Odysseus’s wife, who is trying to wait for him to return; the men on the voyage and their loyalty to each other and their leader)
· Themes of strength vs. cunning (the hero continually outwits his stronger enemies, such as the cyclops, and slays all of his wife’s rowdy suitors by disguising himself. Likewise, his wife Penelope delays her suitors by claiming to weave a burial shroud that she never intends to finish).
3) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley:
· Themes of technology (mainly used as an instrument of control; Soma and entertainment control the population, sleep conditioning controls the social system)
· Themes of natural state vs. social conditioning (John, the outsider, lives more naturally and is able to appreciate Shakespeare’s poetry and see the flaws in the high-tech society, but the others around him are too shallow to understand what he means)
· Themes of truth and happiness (it seems that the happiest characters, such as Lenina, are the ones most out of touch with reality, while John, who sees the truth of the world, is bitterly unhappy)
· Themes of authority vs. the individual (John rebels against and is eventually destroyed by an all-powerful authoritarian society).
4) Animal Farm by George Orwell:
u· Themes of class in society (despite mostly good intentions, the animals find themselves organized into higher and lower castes)
· Themes of socialism vs. capitalism (the animals expect their Soviet-style socialism to benefit them all equally, but learn very quickly that the system will be exploited by “pigs” with more power and cunning)
· Themes of idealism vs. pragmatism (the most idealistic animals, like Snowball, are quickly taken advantage of by less-principled and more-practical animals like Napoleon who don’t truly believe in the rhetoric of the revolution)
· The danger of not questioning leadership (Boxer, for example, never questions Napoleon’s decisions, preferring to keep his head down and assume that all is for the best)
· Themes of power and corruption (in Orwell’s view, power inevitably corrupts those who have it)
5) The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton:
· Themes of honor (The Greasers, perhaps because they don’t fit into the larger society, must create and follow their own code of ethics. For example, Dally once let himself be arrested for a crime that Two-Bit committed)
· Themes of group identity (The Greasers identify them through their hair and clothing; the Socs set themselves with cars, rings, and nicer clothes. Each group speaks in a specific way. The clear social markers keep the groups separate)
· Themes of similarity among different groups of people (Ponyboy begins to realize that although they seem very different, the Socs and the Greasers both share adolescent trials such as sadness, loss, and love)
· Themes of violence (despite all the gang fights and shootouts, no group ever comes out “on top” – the cycle of violence merely causes losses, pain, and suffering for both sides)