Propoganda and the Iraq War

Prompt: It is acceptable for a government to try and shape public opinion through information campaigns.

The Iraq War was a highly controversial topic within media, where some media outlets were accused of being biased or even a form of propaganda. Different media outlets were reflective of their respective ideologies, based on their own ideas and the interests of their viewers. However during the Iraq war, American media outlets broadcasted information presented by the U.S. military, which was accused of being biased and one sided. Which brings us to the idea of government influence of media portrayal of certain events in order to gain or reinforce support. This is a common occurrence as government attempt to persuade public opinion during events such as war. However this is something that should not be deemed acceptable. Information campaigns usually attempt to communicated information by misrepresenting the other side and omitting information to mislead public. This can include the exclusion of important information that may reveal the nature of the event and cause discontent. In turn, this paints an unfair image of the opposing side, which should not be done by a government as they have strong influence on people. This unbalanced view of events may cause unjust perceptions of certain groups, and to create issues towards them. Governments should portray both sides equally in order to maintain credibility, giving the people a full image. Specifically for the Iraq War, the American government, through their influence on the media, gave the American people a negative portrayal of the Iraqi population. This was done in order to convince the public to accept the war on Iraq, and to enhance the American image. However this created a negative image that was closely associated with American perception of Iraq, and was damaging to their population. Therefore it should not be acceptable for government to shape public opinions, but rather to present both sides and encourage support. 

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Media Bias Article Rewrite

Rationale:

This article is a rewritten version of the FOX News Article titled Palestinians stab Israelis in 2 Jerusalem attacks. The FOX article is one that clearly favors the Israeli side, often portraying Palestinians in an inhumane manner and favoring Israeli sources. There is omission of events that may portray Israelis negatively, and those which are mentioned often lack detail. The rewritten article will place more focus on the Palestinian side, using Palestinian sources and accounts. It will be placing the Israeli side in a negative light, to present a more positive image of the Palestinian side. 

Article:

JERUSALEM - Israeli police has shot a Palestinian in Jerusalem following a stabbing attack on settlers while in Gaza, 2 Palestinian children, aged 13 and 15, where shot dead. This came during a time of increased violence by settlers protected by Israeli police in Jerusalem and other cities.

These stabbing attacks have spread widely after settlers have attack the holy site of Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, under the protection of the police. As a result, attacks have spread between Palestinians and Jewish settlers.

Further, a 16-year-old boy was shot dead in Jerusalem after he attempted to stab two settlers, who were left with light wounds. Elsewhere in Jerusalem, the IDF have stormed a hospital while an Israeli settler has run over Palestinian workers.

In Gaza, Israeli drones and jets are intensively circulating, causing police stations to be evacuated in fear of an attack. Military boats placed attacks on Gaza, and later, loud explosions were heard. There were two rockets launched from Gaza today, which hit rural areas and caused no causalities. More clashes within Gaza, wounding dozens of Palestinians, some of which are minors. 

Many arrests and attacks have taken place within Gaza since the 2014 Israeli attacks on the strip, which killed over 2000 Palestinians. Rockets have been launched out of Gaza as an act of support for the uprising within Palestine, which came after settler attacks on Al-Aqsa mosque.

Over the day 586 Palestinians were wounded in the West Bank amid clashes with the Israeli police. More protests occurred at the funeral of a 25 year old Palestinian, where Israeli police opened fire on the protesters. In Hebron, thousands took to the streets for the funerals of Palestinian martyrs who had carried out recent attacks.

Since the start of this month, police and the IDF have killed 23 Palestinians, while over 500 have been wounded. Many of these are minors, such as those attacked in a school in the West Bank city of Ramallah by the IDF.

Attacks on behalf of Palestinians are in response to the increased Israeli aggression, and are a form of resistance. As Jewish settlers have attacked holy sites and innocent people in those areas, Palestinian youth has been responding with a series of attacks.

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The Tempest IOC 2

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1RzIF3v6xYHbl9DWU1VSklkVVk/view?usp=sharing

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This is Water

In his essay, "This is Water", David Foster Wallace discusses the human outlook towards everyday life and how this impacts overall happiness. He begins by discussing the routine of everyday life and the tedious tasks that come with work and responsibility in adult life. He argues that our perception of this routine is something that has a direct connection to our freedom. He suggests that by becoming more conscious of these surrondings we are able to become more free and to open up our perception of the world. This concept is grounded in his discussion of the everyday chores that an adult must take responsibility for. This includes waking up to go to work, commuting and working, as well as other necessities such as grocery shopping which Wallace focused on greatly. The many minor details that are such an integral part of grocery shopping, such as the damaged carts and the long check out lines, become part of that irritating reality. However Wallace argues that our outlook towards and understanding of these details and parts of everyday routine is what frees us as humans. By looking at these with a different, more open-minded perception, we can free ourselves from the typical reality that has become almost subconscious. 

Literature plays its own role in relation to this concept, where it can add greatly to our social lives. Through the understandings that we gain from literature, we will be able to shape a more well-rounded view of the world. We are exposed to characters, settings, experiences and events which develops our views. This forms a sense of empathy for the reader. Emotional intelligence is defined by one’s ability to recognize emotions and differentiate between them. This is fostered by our ability to retain information on different human interactions and relationships. While we can attain this from real life situations, literature can give us exposure to a wider range of these instances, and explain them in great detail. Through the development of characters, as well as the changes that they go through, we can learn about the essential parts of human thought. These details will allow us to have a greater understand of emotions within a larger context, in turn expanding our emotional intelligence. 

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Family Furnishings IOC

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1RzIF3v6xYHYnpZcmtUdkYwMDA/view?usp=sharing

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Boys and Girls IOC

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1RzIF3v6xYHUzNqX0dEaHJtM3c/view?usp=sharing

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Woman's Literature Reflection

The study of literature allows us to broaden our perspective of the world and to be more open-minded. Through our exposure to literature, we will be able to gain a wider understanding of people and different cultures. We can understand the ideas of people around the world and those from different times. Further, it can improve our social skills and help us to interact with different people from different backgrounds. Literature can provide a good image of different cultures, and to expand out ideas of the world. Woman's literature in particular has a unique viewpoint which is important for us to examine. It is expressive of oppression and major changes within a social group. Whether it is directly advocating for feminism or not, there is a sense of honesty that brings interesting ideas into literature. Further, it can show the true experiences of the female and their outlook on different concepts.

Munro is able to incorporate her own personal life into her stories and create complex characters through doing so. This is significant because it calls for change within personal stories that allow us to understand the viewpoint of those experiencing the issues. The stories were very realistic and had everyday events, therefore they addressed true aspects of life. As a result, the reader during those times, as well as modern readers, were able to relate to the stories and the messages she was expressing. Despite that Munro does not write with the aim of advocating for feminism, she addresses feminism in subtle ways. She does this by honestly portraying the role of the female within her realistic stories and showing the true emotions involved. This raw honesty means that she is not directly trying to portray her issue with gender inequality, however it conveys an extremely strong message. 

The part I enjoyed most of Munro's work was her ability to create complex characters and describe their experiences. They all had very realistic personalities and her ability to convey their emotions so clearly strengthened her stories. The interesting development of her characters was something that I greatly enjoyed. They were also highly relatable in some aspects, which is a result of the realistic nature of the stories. The complexity and honesty of the characters allow Munro's work to be influential, and to convince us of her message. 

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