Sontag's Images

Samantha Wang

After reading Susan Sontag’s Regarding the Pain of Others I was deeply moved by two very specific photographs. In chapter three, Sontag describes Goltzius’s picture of The Dragon Devouring the Companions of Cadmus (1558) as horrifying. In this photograph, it is portrays a dragon biting on a man’s head with its razor sharp teeth, with its claws digging into the thigh and waist of another. The man in the picture is fully naked and seems to be trying to fight off the dragon by grasping it by the neck. This picture truly depicts pain and suffering. In the book Sontag compares this picture to a photograph taken in WWI where a soldier’s face was shot. I find this picture to be very interesting because I believe that the artist who drew this picture with the dragon must have a very active imagination. I think that the dragon might actually have a symbolic meaning behind it. In the book Sontag states pictures of bodies that are experiencing pain and suffering are as “keen” as the craving for naked bodies. She states that it is due to the satisfaction of flinching. I agree with Sontag’s statement because I believe that people find satisfaction in being able to overcome obstacles. In this case, the obstacle would be to overcome flinching and being able to look into the details of the picture.

                The second photograph was located in Sontag’s book in chapter 5, page 90. This picture was taken by Ron Haviv on April 1992 in Bijeljina. In the photograph, three Serb militiamen walking on the streets in uniform carrying rifles. One of militiamen is shown in the picture getting ready to kick a woman with one hand holding his rifle and the other holding a cigarette. The woman is lying facing the floor, covering her face and pretending to be dead on the street. I find this picture to be sickening. Sontag argues, “The photograph doesn’t tell us that she is Muslim, though she is unlikely to have been labeled in any other way, for why would she and the two others be lying there, as if dead (why ‘dying’?), under the gaze of some Serb soldiers?” In this statement Sontag believes that this woman was a Muslim due to the Serb militiaman’s act of violence. I believe that this picture is an example of what happens in war as well as displays the ruthlessness in people. The woman seemed to be unarmed and not violent; there was no reason for such violence. The posing in the picture tells us that the man was careless, and did not care about the person he was clearly attacking.

Images from Google.com

Olympics 2012

The Olympics has always been an international event that catches the interest and the attention of millions of people around the world. Being an American, one can notice that Michael Phelps is the center of attention in the swimming department. Although there are many others such as Ryan Lochte, that are quite skilled as well, none were as looked upon as Phelps was.

            Phelps being only twenty-seven years old has claimed twenty-two medals: eighteen gold and two silver medals. After the 2012 Olympics, Phelp’s achievements make him the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time. In 2012, he was caught smoking a bong in a picture which deeply hurt his fans and his career. Although Phelps apologized for his inappropriate actions, many believed that the event may have hurt his performance. According to Matt Lauer from Today in London who interviewed Phelps on June 26st, 2012 Phelps says, “I think the worst thing was just I hurt so many people around me… I’ll be the first to admit I made a lot of stupid mistakes in my life. It was a huge learning experience. I’ve had a lot of those throughout my career, and they’ve all made me a better person.”

            In this interview Phelps also expresses concerns about his body, “You’re so up in this big competitive level, and you’re at this peak… and then you just kind of roll down the hill”. Phelps was clearly concerned about his performance as he discusses with Lauer about his upcoming competition and concern about his own physical fitness.

            Phelps still has strong supporters such as Bob Bowman who states, “I think if you ask me today, ‘is he prepared to be a good swimmer as he was in Beijing? I would have to say no because we haven’t done the volume of training… If you ask me, ‘Has he prepared to be a better person than he was in Beijing?’ Without question. He's in a much better place in his life, and he's just more grown up.”

In the 2012 Olympics, Phelps greatly contributed to the team’s success by swimming for the United States in the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay and winning silver. Under his leadership, he helped his team win gold for 100 meter butterfly, 200 meter individual medley, the 4 x 200 meter freestyle and the 4 x 100 meter medley. It is quite clear that Phelps helped his team a lot, as well as represented the country as a whole in the Olympics winning the 2012 Olympics for the United States of America.

            Phelps, now retired does donate back to his community such as running for his non-profit organization: the Michael Phelps Foundation. According to www.michaelphelpsfoundation.org, it states, “The Michael Phelps Foundation is a nonprofit organization focused on growing the sport of swimming and promoting healthy and active lives, especially in children.” Phelps was able to create such an establishment by using the one million dollar bonus from Speedo for winning eight Olympic medals in the Beijing (China) Olympics.

http://todayinlondonblog.today.com/_news/2012/06/26/12415731-there-was-no-turning-back-phelps-on-his-fourth-shot-at-olympic-gold?lite

http://newsone.com/2030817/how-many-medals-does-michael-phelps-have/

http://www.michaelphelpsfoundation.org/the_foundation.php                         

                                                                                                              

Review Of a Resturant: Boston Hotel's Crab & Steak House!!

If you are looking for cheap and delicious seafood, you might want to check out Boston Hotel’s Steak & Crab House! They are located in 5555 Genesee St, Lancaster, NY 14086 in a small neighborhood. They primarily serve lunch and dinner with prices ranging from ten dollars to fifteen.

The main attraction of this is their Monday night specials where customers can order a dozen of clams for less than two dollars, chicken wings for fourty-nine cents and crab clusters for less than four dollars. The prices are so cheap that it attracts a lot of people on a Monday night. Their Monday night specials begin at 8pm to 12pm. Although the place is primarily a bar, the restaurant serves as a hotspot for many college undergrads and graduates. The restaurant part of the establishment has three large rooms, they are usually filled with people on a Monday night; the wait was usually around 25 minutes to 45 minutes. Another downside is that those who came in groups were unable to be seated until their friends had arrived.

During the wait, one can take in their environment and décor of the restaurant. The restaurant was nicely decorated in dark wood that gave it a woodsy bar feel. The tableware however was horrible in my opinion, a majority of the forks were bent, and they served their beverages in clear tiny plastic cups while charging for the full amount. The rooms were moderately lighted with at least two televisions in the corners of every room.

The only thing that makes me ignore all these cons is because of their food. I personally love their crab clusters, raw clams, mild wings and especially their oyster appetizers. The only con about their food is that the clams usually are not cleaned thoroughly. There tends to be sand on the clams. On the tables are the usual lemon juice, vinegar, hot sauce, ketchup, napkins and paper plates. They served their seafood with melted butter on the side. The waitresses that served the food and took my orders were very friendly and diligent I personally never had any trouble with them. I like that they always refills the condiments before the next person is seated at the table unlike some other restaurants that I have been to in the past.

            As a regular on Mondays I usually order the two crab clusters, a dozen raw clams, an appetizer and maybe a dozen wings. This restaurant is not a place for quiet dining, nor is it a place for those with children. Another con about this place is that they do not accept credit or debit cards; only cash. However, they do have an ATM at the side of the room near the bar, but from experience it was always broken.

            Despite all the cons, Boston Hotel’s Crab & Steak House is still a favorite of mine in buffalo when it comes to cheap eats on a Monday night. I would recommend that for those who are interested go get there earlier if they do not want to wait as long for seats. Enjoy!

My Response on "Conflict and Control" & "Live TV and Bloodless Deaths"

As I read the article “Conflict and Control: The War in Afghanistan and the 24-Hour News Cycle” by Kieran Baker I realized that I had a very similar view on the news of the famous skyline; The World Trade Center falling. It was a shattering feeling of helplessness and disbelief. She also describes that after The World Trade Center collapsed, news organizations immediately made their way into Pakistan. The author describes how she was able to travel to Afghanistan as part of a news crew, only to realize that the country was living in fear. The Taliban had complete control over the people. Baker brings up several points in her article. One was based on the reporters view on the event as well as the traveling for the sake of news from Hong Kong, to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Another was where she brings up the point about the security of the reporters who have traveled to Pakistan. They were brought to a hotel in which Baker describes as “an oasis within a town”. The reporters were generally not allowed to leave unless escorted with armed guards in fear of attacks from the Taliban. With the war unfolding right before her eyes she states, “…nothing compared to the deadly problems that faced journalists as they made their way towards Jalalabad after the fall of Kabul that resulted in a convoy being attacked and its occupants killed.” I liked that the article was more personal, there are not many articles based on the reporter’s point of view. I find them to be very daring and adventurous. It is quite amazing; the reporters are going to these countries where there is definite danger in search of news and something to report.

In the article “Live TV and Bloodless Deaths: War, Infotainment and 24/7 News” by Daya Kishan Thussu, Thussu focuses on the development of news. I really liked how the author gave an overview of what his article was about. It lets the reader understand and see what is expected from Thussu’s writing. When compared to Kieran Baker’s “Conflict and Control: The War in Afghanistan and the 24-Hour News Cycle”, Baker starts off his article about the 9/11 event and what happened in his own opinions. Thussu analyzes people’s dependence on news that is twenty-four hours and seven days a week. We, as Americans, are often use to the idea that we can just turn on the television and in at least one channel there would be news. Similar to Baker, Thussu’s article discusses the importance of live coverage in 9/11. He also states that due to the readers wanting 24/7 news, finding new things to report was hard to find. The reporters did not have sufficient time to acquire new reports. In his article he states, “During the events of 9/11, television networks sometimes had to resort to speculation and supposition rather than accurate reporting.” I found the writing to be quite formal; I think the author could have put in a lot more of his own views and what he would have done to make news better. 

My Response on Brazil's and China's View of the War in Iraq

I found the article “The Self-Absorbing Bully: A Brazilian View of the United States at War” by Antonio La Pastina very similar to my own views on the War in Iraq. The view of the United States taking actions to go into war with Iraq despite the disapproval from the United Nations was seen negatively. I found the passage on page 199 to be quite amusing. The President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva states, “If there is something I admire in the United States is that they first think about themselves, secondly they think about themselves and thirdly they think about themselves. If there is any time left, they think about themselves a bit more.” Some people might disagree with his statement but I find it to be quite true. My opinion is that Americans do think a lot about themselves, as well as put their needs before others. Brazil saw the United States going into war in Iraq as a way for us to acquire their oil. I can see why they would believe that, especially since the United States did not acquire approval from the United Nations.

I found Zhou He’s article, “The Chinese Watching the Iraqi War with Shock and Awe – As a Spectacular Game” to be refreshing. The different views on how other countries saw the war as interesting. In the article it states that China was watching the “high-tech war though high tech means”. For China, they compared and contrasted the United States military and weapons to their own. The media that displayed coverages on the war in Iraq was the first time China was able to view the war unfold right in front of them, especially on television screens. This interest in the War in Iraq caused the media to cater to their nations needs increasing profits and audience.

Based on the two articles, it was stated that the two Nations: Brazil and China did not have any strong ties with Iraq nor the United States. However, they both viewed the war in two different perspectives. The Chinese saw the conflict as a modern war that unfolded right before their eyes in media, with the display of the United States & Britain using advanced technology. This fascinated them that they were able to acquire so much information about the war from the newspapers and broadcasting. The Brazilians saw the conflict as the United States bullying Iraq who was not as developed as they were. They saw the war as disrespect to the United Nations. The war lead Brazilians to be concerned about the United Nations losing control of protecting international laws. The two articles were not easy to understand especially when the authors used examples from previous wars to help the reader comprehend the article more. As a reader who does not fully understand the War in Iraq, it think the articles would have been better if the author had explained the war more explicitly as well as explain the Iraq’s view on the war."

Questions

I have two questions about the syllabus:

1. For the grading, what is the numerical grade that is equivalent to the letter grade? I know there are slight variations in different classes. I am just curious about the grading policy.

2. Are there any extra credit opportunities?

3. Will a curve be applied if the majority of the class's scores are lower than a certain percentage?

Hello

Hi guys, my name is Samantha Wang, but you can just call me Sam. I am originally from Brooklyn, New York, but I consider myself a New Yorker. I am currently a 3rd year Psychology major at UB. I hope that you like my blog, and thank you for visiting! :)


Email: swang24@buffalo.edu