(C1) People are self-centered, we see this over and over again in TV, in books, in our day-to-day communications, and in our personal relationships. (I) Wallace says (Q1) “We rarely think about this sort of natural, basic self-centredness because it’s so socially repulsive. […] It is our default setting, hard-wired into our boards at birth.” (2). (E) Our ability to register other people’s emotions and feelings isn’t something we’re born with, it’s something we learn and get better at with practice. (T) As Bloom illustrates, (Q2) “Although we might intellectually believe that the suffering of our neighbor is just as awful as the suffering of someone living in another country, it’s far easier to empathize with those who are close to us, those who are similar to us,” (2). (C2) As we get more proficient in our abilities to acknowledge other people, we start small (and some people stay there). It’s up to us to work at being kind, to work at looking outward, and to have other people’s completely individualized lives resonate with us.
Tag: ENG110
DFW Response
- In two healthy paragraphs, summarize the speech and show (with framed quotes and paraphrase from the text) what you believe to be the author’s three main points/arguments. Support with textual evidence and include your own initial response to the material. //
David Foster Wallace’s speech “This is Water” is a commencement speech to the graduating class of 2005 at Kenyon College. He begins with an assessment of the liberal arts education that the students have just received, saying that their teachers were “teaching you how to think” (Wallace p. 1). But what does that actually mean? What were they teaching them how to think? Wallace proposes that the most important thing they learn is “to be just a little less arrogant. To have just a little critical awareness about [yourself] and [your] certainties.” (p.2)
Wallace continues, asking the graduates to look outside themselves and consider that everyone around them are suffering just the same, if not more than, they are. “It is extremely difficult to stay alert and attentive, instead of getting hypnotised by the constant monologue inside your own head.” (Wallace p. 3). How do you escape your own head to realize that there are others around you? How do you breathe when you realize that everyone around you is suffering? What do you do when you can’t tune them out and focus on your own struggles? That’s what I wish DFW had talked about more in his speech, because that is just as important as how important he highlighted looking outside of yourself to be.
- Do you agree with DFW’s main arguments? Why or why not? Explain. //
Yes, 100%. This is was such a fun read and I was so actively engaged the entire time. DFW is so amazingly articulate in his descriptions of adulthood and human suffering. I only wish he had validated individual suffering- saying that what you feel is real and important, that you don’t have to constantly be looking out to realize that everyone around you is also suffering, or possibly suffering more. Your own struggles are real and valid.
- Do you believe DFW is referring to empathy, even though he never uses the word? Or is he hinting at something else? //
I think DFW is very clever in his wording- never quite defining the emotions and experiences he’s talking about as nothing more than “thinking” or being “well-adjusted” (Wallace p2). He’s stressing the importance of looking outward when all we’ve ever known is how to look inward. Doing so is so much more than just empathy.
- Find one DFW quote that evoked a strong response. Paste the direct quote from his piece, then write a few sentences in which you challenge or support his statement. //
“Anything […] you worship will eat you alive.” (Wallace p5). WOW. Where do I even start!! This is such an amazing one-liner. I had to take a second to really let that whole paragraph sink in. To propose the idea that what we idolize and hold most important are the things we’re insecure about is such an incredible idea. I never thought about it like that before, but it makes so much sense.
- How do DFW’s main points interact with those of Paul Bloom (from our last reading)? //
DFW’s main points are difficult to connect to Bloom’s “Is Empathy Overrated” because Wallace never explicitly defines what he’s talking about as empathy. However, they do share some similarities of how we as humans take our biases and place them onto how we view others. Bloom goes into detail, expressing that we can’t empathize with people different from us, like victims of sexual assault (p. 3). Wallace says “consider the likelihood that everyone else in the supermarket’s checkout line is just as bored and frustrated as [you are].” (p. 5). Wallace suggests that we can only empathize with someone in the same situation as ourselves, just as Bloom proposes.
Bloom Annotations
ENG110 pt 1
The first half of the semester for English Composition 110! Taught by Prof. Brod in Marcil Hall.
ENG110 pt2
Bloom Response
- In two healthy paragraphs summarize the piece and show (with framed quotes and paraphrase from the text) what you believe to be the author’s three main points/arguments. Support with textual evidence and include your own initial response to the material. //
Paul Bloom makes three main points in his discussion. First, he suggests the idea of empathy being used as a spotlight, and our lived experiences aim and brighten that spotlight. Second, he says “The real problem is that we don’t have enough empathy for other people.” (Bloom pg2-3). Third, he proposes moral situations in which human empathy can’t be used reliably and puts others at risk. Ultimately he wants us to know that he is against empathy in the moral domain and that there are better ways to go about using your morals to interact with people.
My reaction to this text summed up into one word is “frustration.” Here comes another professional to comment on something that has been so influential in my lived experiences. Bloom seemingly forgets the concept of sympathy in his writing, not even bringing it up as a solution for alternatives to empathy. I believe that what he is describing as a spotlight isn’t empathy, he’s mistaken empathy for sympathy- and there’s a big difference. Empathy is thick, all-consuming, and overwhelming, which means that plenty of people don’t have the mental intelligence and capacity to use their empathy to its fullest potential.
- Do you agree with Bloom’s main arguments? Why or why not? //
No, I do not. Bloom wants his readers to think more deeply and reflect on their use of empathy when the emotions and actions better match the definition of sympathy and the ability to use compassion.
- In what ways does Bloom challenge your initial understanding or perception regarding empathy? //
I don’t think Bloom challenges my definition of empathy. I want to challenge his perception of it though. Bloom uses a spotlight as an analogy for empathy when it’s so much more than that. Even for neurotypical people empathy isn’t a pointed source that can be aimed, it’s more a room’s dimmer switch. Neurodivergent empathy is a whole other beast (think a light control board for a theater).
- Find one claim Bloom makes that evoked a strong response. Paste the direct quote from his piece, then write a few sentences in which you challenge OR support his claim in your own words and experience(s). //
“Further, spotlights only illuminate what they are pointed at, so empathy reflects our biases.” (Bloom pg2) was the quote I chose for this example. True, all-encompassing empathy doesn’t care about your biases. Maybe your sympathy and compassion do, but not empathy. Empathy is unconditional and is felt for all people, regardless of what you think about them. The idea that empathy is something that can be turned on and off and aimed is just incorrect, empathy is felt and can’t be placed upon someone by choice.
Essay #1 Self-Reflection
- What was your final thesis statement? Paste, then analyze its strengths & weaknesses in a focused paragraph (considering specificity, taking a stance, narrow focus, needing evidence to defend).//
“I believe that some of the most important and meaningful connections can be created and maintained completely online.”
I think my thesis is pretty specific- some of the most important people in a person’s life can be online the entire time. I know that I’ve never met my best friend in real life, and yet, they’re one of my closest friends.
- In a separate paragraph, describe what you learned or were reminded of about your own writing process, from completing Paper #1.//
I was reminded that I don’t really have a writing process and that when I write, I either get tunnel vision or am completely stressed out. Not a very healthy balance… But I got it done, and I think now I just need to focus my energy on this upcoming essay.
- In another paragraph: Which aspect of revision did you focus on most? What changes or adjustments made your essay stronger? Be specific.//
I honestly didn’t do very well in the revision stage, I was scrambling for ideas and to be completely honest my essay felt a little half-baked. It’s not my best work, and I think I could have put more effort into the conclusion and specificity of the body paragraphs.
- How might you approach Paper #2 differently, from pre-reading and annotating, all the way through completion of your final draft?//
I think essay #2 will be more interesting and personal in terms of topic. I’m really looking forward to it. I plan to use SAS011 to its fullest extent and try taking breaks and coming back, that’s worked in the past and I didn’t do that with this essay.
Lammot Response
- From what Lammot has to say, is writing a first draft more about the product or the process? Do you agree in regard to your own first drafts? Explain. //
Lammot says that shitty first drafts are meant to be just that- shitty. The most important thing to do is dump your brain onto a piece of paper so that you can mold and create something in your second draft. Product and process are equally important, as one is almost impossible without the other.
For me, my writing process is almost non-existent. I don’t do well getting my thoughts cleanly written into nice flowing paragraphs, I get them jotted down in bullet points with sub-points explaining more. Writing any kind of flow is so difficult for me because I have so many ideas that I want to talk about that don’t always relate to one another cleanly. So for first drafts I really believe its the content and thought process that is the most important. If you have something to start with it makes it all the more easier to link and flow and connect your ideas together in one big long essay.
Chen Reading Response
- Who is Adrian Chen? And how does his background/areas of expertise help inform you about his perspective as it relates to this article? //
Adrian Chen is an American blogger, writing about internet culture and it’s impact on the general public. At 39, he’s written for a slew of different publications and websites as well as created his own “humor publication” for Reed College. His most written about platforms are 4chan and Reddit, and that says a lot and I believe he knows what he’s talking about.
- Write a brief summary, using your words and direct quotes, of Megan Phelps-Roper’s personal transformation, as described in Chen’s piece. Be sure to include 2-3 direct quotes, framed properly. Choose quotes that help illuminate changes Phelps-Roper experienced along the way. //
Megan Phelps-Roper’s personal transformation really began with the death of actress Brittany Murphy. While other church members reacted with glee, praising God for another worthy smite, Phelps-Roper felt conflicted. She’d loved Murphy’s work and when she continued through her timeline to see others mourning the actress she didn’t post about it like she normally would have. As the church of Westboro started to preach more aggressive stances about God’s opinions on human feelings and emotion, Phelps-Roper felt a conflict within herself that mirrored the public’s concern about the church.
- In your opinion, how did social media embolden Phelps-Roper’s initial message as a spokesperson for Westboro Baptist Church? How did interactions via social media influence her drastic shift in personal belief? Use at least two direct quotes, framed with help from our discussion/slides on Quote/the Quote Sandwich method, to support your claims. //
Social media emboldened Phelps-Roper’s baiting on social media. She “was exhilarated by the response. Since elementary school, she had given hundreds of interviews about Westboro, but the reaction on Twitter seemed more real than a quote in the newspaper.” (Chen pg3) With people reacting and talking directly with her, she felt the need to continue to grab the public’s attention however she could. And with what the church had raised her to believe, it was often hateful.
- “Anybody’s initial response to being confronted with the sort of stuff Westboro Baptist Church says is to tell them to f*** off,” said blogger David Abitbol (Chen 79). But it was less-aggressive communication styles that “got through” to Phelps-Roper, that in part influenced her to reconsider her belief system. What style(s) of conversation (consider message, tone, perspective) had the most impact on Phelps-Roper? What might her story teach us about confronting hate speech? What about redemption? //
As uncomfortable as hate speech is, to put it lightly, the only way the people spouting it will listen to you is if you agree with them. They don’t often want to hear anything other than what they believe in, that’s what makes talking to each other nowadays so hard. It can be very easy to get emotional and frantic when trying to explain hatred to people in person, but online you have the opportunity to be patient and craft a carefully written response. You have the chance to actually talk with another person who otherwise would be at each other’s throats. Unfollow is just one example of a brainwashed individual learning to listen to something that isn’t the dominant personality in their life.
- If you were to meet Phelps-Roper today, what question would you want to ask her, and why? //
After reading Unfollow I’m not sure I have any more questions for her. I would praise her for her bravery in questioning the church and her family- it’s not an easy thing to do.
