Kalman's "Back to the Land" persuades her readers to eat healthier foods instead of fast foods through contrast; however, her contrast can be confusing and needs some interpretation.
I will start my essay by first showing her contrasts and interpret them from my point of view. This will help to see how an audience can relate or be persuaded by the contrasts that I have selected to be appropriate for my thesis.Then I will I show how I can relate to them by using my own personal experience with healthy foods and fast foods. I will also take one of the contrasts I selected and place evidence to support a counter argument. I will then conclude with a review of my thesis, body, and counter argument. I hope it makes for a good read.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
An Analytical View of "Back to the Land" - Author: Maira Kalman
I spent some time reading "Back to the Land" by Maira Kalman. I found the writings of Kalman very interesting, to say the least. She talks about Agrarian societies as if we have lost our way. She wrote, "Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison - farmers all - envisioned an agrarian society. We have since evolved into a very different kind of society." Like we did not understand what the founders of America had hoped for us to be. Like we should start to rethink the way we live but mostly the way we eat. She suggests that the fast food most of us Americans consume will make us overweight and unhealthy. She states, "every little bit of this country has very fast food. If you eat too much of this food you become sick and also Fatafat. And no amount of Fatafat pills will help you." I never heard of Fatafat pills and I work in a pharmacy, so these sound very strange to me. I also noticed this phrase, "Do the wealthy have access to the really healthy food while the less affluent do not?" I thought this to be revealing of the cost of foods today. It is true that you can get a couple of dollar cheeseburgers from places like McDonald's, which is very unhealthy for you, or you can spend up to $6.00per/lb for fruits and vegetables. Which would you chose?
As I read throughout the rest of the text I see that most of the text is filled with food. She shows pictures of bad food and good food. She uses the pictures as a way of showing fast food in comparison to organic food. She gives all kinds of examples of the food she likes, for instance, chicken and eggs, fruits and vegetables. I think she does this as a suggestion of foods we can eat that are healthier for us and we might also enjoy them as she does. She talks about farmers and city children who are gonna start gardening. It might be a suggestion of people who are still continuing to live like agrarians or that we as a society should teach all of our children how to grow their own food. How we should teach them healthier ways of eating. She also suggests that we should question bad eating habits and the our own choices by asking, "So what do we do about that?"
I guess there are some things that can throw you off a little bit in her text. For example on page 95 there is a picture of a chef standing next to two pizzas and a phrase that says, "The wearing of sponge pajamas. The eating of cod liver oil. Hmmm." I see this to be an anomaly to her writing because I don't see how it fits in with the rest of the text. I can't tell if it is a quote from F.T. Marinetti's book titled; "Futurist Cookbook", or if it is a statement of the picture itself. I think it also not fair to suggest that every city has a cart vendor or that all cart vendors sell food that is unhealthy for you, as she does on page 83. If you take a closer look at the cart, on the bottom of the sign it reads, "Veggie Wrap $3.00." I also find it strange that she writes about a problem that needs to be addressed but she hardly showed any kind of solution. Almost as if she is leaving the solution up to the reader. More than anything though it is a good read because it leaves you asking questions about yourself, your food choices and your eating habits. Bon appetit!
As I read throughout the rest of the text I see that most of the text is filled with food. She shows pictures of bad food and good food. She uses the pictures as a way of showing fast food in comparison to organic food. She gives all kinds of examples of the food she likes, for instance, chicken and eggs, fruits and vegetables. I think she does this as a suggestion of foods we can eat that are healthier for us and we might also enjoy them as she does. She talks about farmers and city children who are gonna start gardening. It might be a suggestion of people who are still continuing to live like agrarians or that we as a society should teach all of our children how to grow their own food. How we should teach them healthier ways of eating. She also suggests that we should question bad eating habits and the our own choices by asking, "So what do we do about that?"
I guess there are some things that can throw you off a little bit in her text. For example on page 95 there is a picture of a chef standing next to two pizzas and a phrase that says, "The wearing of sponge pajamas. The eating of cod liver oil. Hmmm." I see this to be an anomaly to her writing because I don't see how it fits in with the rest of the text. I can't tell if it is a quote from F.T. Marinetti's book titled; "Futurist Cookbook", or if it is a statement of the picture itself. I think it also not fair to suggest that every city has a cart vendor or that all cart vendors sell food that is unhealthy for you, as she does on page 83. If you take a closer look at the cart, on the bottom of the sign it reads, "Veggie Wrap $3.00." I also find it strange that she writes about a problem that needs to be addressed but she hardly showed any kind of solution. Almost as if she is leaving the solution up to the reader. More than anything though it is a good read because it leaves you asking questions about yourself, your food choices and your eating habits. Bon appetit!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
More Than Dirty Laundry
You never really think much about most spaces you dwell in. Some of them are places you visit frequently. Sure, you probably walked in the first time and assessed the place by answering the usual self questions; "is it clean?", "Is it safe?", "Where are all the vital tools I need that this place offers?", "how do I use these tools efficiently so I can leave and get on with rest of my routine?". I never analyze a space much more than this nor did I ever have to analyze a space for an essay before. Since I was on my way to do some of my dirty laundry, I figured, why not analyze a Laundromat? A Laundromat has a lot of elements to offer for a good analysis. It has environment, machines, and people all in one place.I chose one in West Allis, Wisconsin on 87th and National Ave. Although, anyone who has been to a Laundromat could probably agree they are all similar. Let me show you some examples.
When walking into a Laundromat the first thing you will see is the environment. The floors, ceilings, walls, machines, how busy it is and where do you get the soap and change, if necessary. When I first walked into this particular one I noticed it didn't look clean. There were scuffs on an already dull floor. The benches to sit in are worn and have several gouges in the finished surface. The folding tables are also worn. It has a soap box dispenser on the wall titled "Soap Center" and the walls were unprofessionally painted in an attempt to spruce up the place . Sometimes these places make me feel Laundromats make me feel exposed and ashamed. After all, some of the people in here might get a chance to see your undies.
Next, you'll notice the machines.The washers and dryers were a bit new, although the back area has some older industrial sized washers and some very new large load dryers. These are pretty much the reason I came here, although I am not in favor of the decorum. I do like the fact I can wash and dry bigger items like pillows and comforters that I can't wash at home.Another thing I noticed about all of these machines is they still take coin. There is no option for dollar bills or credit/debit cards on any of the machines. It's almost as if there have not been any technological advances since1934, when C.A. Tannhil opened the first Laundromat in Fort Worth, Texas. Back then it was called a "Washateria."
Finally you'll notice the people. One thing for certain is that Laundromats do not discriminate. You can run into people from all different races, religion, social culture, gender, sexual lifestyle, and age. I met an Italian man who kept trying to talk to me. I engaged in conversation with him out of politeness because I was trying to use this time for analyzing and studying. We all seemed to be dressed a little sloppy to do laundry. I find it strange that a majority of us do this. Like it is a right to dress down a notch from our usual casual appearance.
Even though going to a Laundromat that has a mildly unclean look to its environment, technologically un-advanced coin operation, and people who are dressed sloppy, I still had an interesting time. This is the first time I really got to look at my surroundings in a very analogical way. It's almost as if my eyes are open for the first time and I got to see that Laundromats are more than dirty laundry.
Finally you'll notice the people. One thing for certain is that Laundromats do not discriminate. You can run into people from all different races, religion, social culture, gender, sexual lifestyle, and age. I met an Italian man who kept trying to talk to me. I engaged in conversation with him out of politeness because I was trying to use this time for analyzing and studying. We all seemed to be dressed a little sloppy to do laundry. I find it strange that a majority of us do this. Like it is a right to dress down a notch from our usual casual appearance.
Even though going to a Laundromat that has a mildly unclean look to its environment, technologically un-advanced coin operation, and people who are dressed sloppy, I still had an interesting time. This is the first time I really got to look at my surroundings in a very analogical way. It's almost as if my eyes are open for the first time and I got to see that Laundromats are more than dirty laundry.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
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