I created my concept map to delineate the commonalities between each of the texts we read this summer. When creating my concept map, I attempted to not only delve into my own analysis of each text, but also to reveal the underlying themes the text adhered to. Although at first, I had trouble finding a single theme that each text fit under, upon closer analysis, I determined that they all dealt with the power of language and questioning to enact social change. In my persuasive descriptive piece, I used the reasoning from my concept map to more deeply analyze how each text connected and fit under the theme of language and power. At times, I had trouble properly expressing the connections between each piece, but overall, I am really proud of the piece I wrote. I think that, although it was frustrating, my original misunderstanding of the assignment allowed me to more deeply analyze each text and determine how they fit together.
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I organized my concept map to highlight the intrinsic similarities that the texts from our summer reading presented. Although each piece dealt with seemingly unrelated subjects, they all emphasized society's amenability to change, and the power that language and questioning hold. When creating my concept map, I found that almost every piece I read this summer was related to language and its inherent power to both stifle and facilitate change.
For example, in “Descartes on Wonderment,” Maria Popova explains how wonderment and the act of questioning have the ability to recalibrate our being. According to Popova, wonderment facilitates intellectual growth and the expansion of ideas; when we inquire about different issues, we are able to better understand and build off them. This piece reminded me of Warren Berger's, “A More Beautiful Question,” in which Berger explains the problematic nature of a decline in questioning and curiosity. Additionally, it reminded me of Popova’s “A Stop Motion Love Letter to the power of curiosity,” in which Popova explains that curiosity is essential to progress; each piece discusses the intrinsic value of questioning and the role of questioning in facilitating change. For example, Berger highlights the transformative nature of questioning through explaining that Edwin Land invented the digital camera because of a question his daughter asked. Similarly, Descartes explains how questioning “allows the mind to reach previously unconquered territories,” emphasizing that questioning is essential to innovation and the formation of new ideas (Popova). However, although questioning is an effective tool for change, it is not the only form of language that facilitates change. In “Better Living Through Criticism,” A.O Scott delineates the power of language through detailing the inherent value of criticism in enacting social change. He explains how society necessitates the adherence to certain beliefs and rules, and that criticism provides us with the forum to challenge those beliefs. I connected this piece to Popova’s “Nietzsche on Truth, Lies, the Power and Peril of Metaphor, and How We Use Language to Conceal and Reveal Reality,” in which Popova explains how language embellishes and conceals the truth, because criticism has the power to expose falsehoods and create new truths. In fact, criticism allows us to challenge the norms and social constructs through which language is created. Additionally, I connected this piece to Stephen Greenblatt’s “Renaissance Self Fashioning” because criticism and language have the power to both create and dismantle the structures that Greenblatt identifies as essential to the formation of our identities. For example, criticism was essential to our transition from the Renaissance era to modern day; it allowed us to challenge the norms of the Renaissance and create a society that better reflected modern beliefs and traditions. Throughout my concept map, I connected the seemingly disparate ideas each piece presented under the single idea of language and power. Upon reflecting on the summer reading, I found that each piece discussed the inherent power of language to enact change. Although each piece explained the power of language in different manners, they all highlighted its ability to either stifle or facilitate social progression. 8/15/2019 0 Comments Concept Map(It's a bit hard to see everything without seeing the pdf, so I am including pictures of each section (with some of the lines and explanations of how they relate.)
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April 2020
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