Propaganda 2011

The world is full of lies. Germany use propaganda during World War II to tell its citizens that Germany is winning all along and that the Jews were evil people or whatnot. Let's not talk about politics this time.

What is propaganda? Dictionary.com states that propaganda is information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc. Where do most people today get information about things? I would guess probably through the commercials on television or from ads on a website. Companies try to get people to buy their products or use their services and would make themselves benevolent and their products as the best. For some of these ads or commercials, it may be true. Though, most of the time, they are all lies or not the complete truth. 


Fast food restaurants make their food seem like they are delicious, which they are (most of the time..), but they do not tell people that they use products with high fructose corn syrup, trans fat, or other harmful things. Bud lite or any alcohol commercials always depict people enjoying their beer but never do they show the aftermath of drinking. 


Anyways, this world is full of lies and incomplete truths. Be careful of what you see because it might be gilded.

Free Response to Black Boy

Black Boy by Richard Wright is an autobiography. Richard talks about his early life and the days after that. I find this quite an interesting story. It is adventurous in its own little way. I can say that Richard was a very mischievous boy. Though, this could be because his dreaded father left him when he was at a young age.

Richard introduces the reader to him burning down his house and getting punished for it. A little later into the book, he tells everyone he became a drunkard at the age of six. Richard also informs him about his many beatings, punishment, and never ceasing hunger.

He was once sent to buy groceries and was turned back because of a gang boys. They were beating Richard up and taking his money. Richard reported this to his mother and his mother did not nurse him, but instead gave him a stick to fight the boys and threatened to beat him if he did not return with groceries. His mother played the role of a catalyst for maturing and becoming a man. Even though she becomes sick, the sickness only speeds up the need for making a man out of Richard.

At one point, because Richard's mother is too sick to work, he takes up a job to support the family. When he finds out his mother had a stroke and is paralyzed, he informs his relatives and they took him and his brother to stay with them, though separately. I have not yet finished this book even though it is very interesting because of the limited time I have. This is a very interesting book, again, and I would recommend it.

Hungry for Attention

This week's question is about Richard Wright, the author of Black Boy. Is Richard "hungry" for attention when he was young? Is he alone in his cravings?

I would say that Richard is hungry for attention, but he is not alone in his cravings. Richard said that he "accidentally" burned the curtains and that he only wanted to see what it would look like on fire. Though, he only did this because he felt that he did not receive attention since his grandmother was sick. Another thing is that Richard stands and waits outside of the saloon waiting to be invited in by a customer. During his stays inside the saloons, he is asked to drink and recite vulgar words to others for a penny or so. I would consider these actions as examples of being hungry for attention. Richard seemed to have gotten off his addiction for alcohol easily, meaning it was not actually alcohol that drove him to the saloons, but rather for the attention he gets from the men and women.

Richard's mother is also hungry for attention in a way. She brings Richard and his brother to her work place and asks them to go to court to testify against their father. This is also evident when she asks Richard to go ask his father to give him a few dollars so he is fed and taken to Arkansas.