This source portrays a man's aggravation in waiting for the last leaf on a tree to fall. In fact, he seems so completely absorbed in this one leaf that he doesn't even seem to notice the entire bag full of leaves already raked up and in their place.
Like this man, does our modern discourse focus too much on the single leaf still left on the tree?
Many pieces of modern discourse definitely focus too much on the single leaf left on the tree. As I mentioned in my previous post, our society can be obsessed with perfection at times and some people aren't happy until every bit of a task is done perfectly. Although I haven't been following the news super closely lately, I do know that many people judged Obama based on the work he did in his first 100 days as president. Even though he did get some things accomplished, the media focused on what he didn't do even though most of his term was, and still is, lying ahead of him. People even apply this criticism to their own lives. For instance, when I was making a poster with my friend, we notice one portion of one line had a few letters that weren't quite lined up with the rest. After freaking out about it, we realized we had to look at our work as a whole, and we took a step back and were able to admire our handiwork.
I have to say, I didn't really get the picture... lol But, as to your commentary, yes, the media does focus too much on the small negatives. That being said, that's not always bad. Striving for perfection is what allows us all to become better. While we know we can never reach perfection, that doesn't mean we can't try.
To answer your question, I think that discourse focuses too much on the unimportant events and people rather than relative, current events in our world. Take for example, celebrity hype. People (tabloids especially)are constantly talking about Whitney Houston's performance and Britney Spears's haircuts, but there is no focus on the current issues facing society today. In this way, the media or discourse is the man in the picture, waiting for that one good piece of gossip to fall from the sky. He completely ignores, however, the big bag of troubles and problems right behind him.
This picture could also relate to the article about the car bomb later on my project. The man in the picture is so absorbed in something that could or might happen that would ruin his perfect yard, that he can't be content with the here and the now. He can't be content that his yard is perfect at that moment in time, rather he speculates the moment the single leaf will fall from the tree. Similarly, almost the entire article about the car bomb is about what would've happened had the bomb gone off, rather than all the positive affects of it not actually going off at all.
The single leaf could also represent an obsession with a single event that really isn't as important or vital as we make it out to be, ad Kevin suggested. No one is going to die if there is a single leaf on the lawn. The neighborhood will not explode and no one will be harmed. Similarly, modern discourse often focuses far too much on events or matters that really have little significance. Why should it matter to us that Lindsay Lohan has a drinking problem? What difference will it make in our lives Justin Bieber got a new hair cut?
I thought this drawing was really well-thought out, it shows how our society has a tendency to focus on all of the things that we could have, instead of what we have. People tend to take what they have for granted and are constantly in the pursuit of newer, better things. This cartoon shows that perfectly by having the man standing aggravated, looking at his watch impatiently, waiting for the last leaf to fall, while completely ignoring the ones that he had already raked and put in the barrel. I also agree with Kevin's point, that it shows how we have a tendency to focus on the small, relatively unimportant aspects of our lives. I just noticed that, interestingly enough, no leaves can be seen on the neighboring lawn behind the man, so it could possibly connect to conformity to some extend as well.
This source portrays a man's aggravation in waiting for the last leaf on a tree to fall. In fact, he seems so completely absorbed in this one leaf that he doesn't even seem to notice the entire bag full of leaves already raked up and in their place.
ReplyDeleteLike this man, does our modern discourse focus too much on the single leaf still left on the tree?
Many pieces of modern discourse definitely focus too much on the single leaf left on the tree. As I mentioned in my previous post, our society can be obsessed with perfection at times and some people aren't happy until every bit of a task is done perfectly. Although I haven't been following the news super closely lately, I do know that many people judged Obama based on the work he did in his first 100 days as president. Even though he did get some things accomplished, the media focused on what he didn't do even though most of his term was, and still is, lying ahead of him.
ReplyDeletePeople even apply this criticism to their own lives. For instance, when I was making a poster with my friend, we notice one portion of one line had a few letters that weren't quite lined up with the rest. After freaking out about it, we realized we had to look at our work as a whole, and we took a step back and were able to admire our handiwork.
I have to say, I didn't really get the picture... lol
ReplyDeleteBut, as to your commentary, yes, the media does focus too much on the small negatives. That being said, that's not always bad. Striving for perfection is what allows us all to become better. While we know we can never reach perfection, that doesn't mean we can't try.
To answer your question, I think that discourse focuses too much on the unimportant events and people rather than relative, current events in our world. Take for example, celebrity hype. People (tabloids especially)are constantly talking about Whitney Houston's performance and Britney Spears's haircuts, but there is no focus on the current issues facing society today. In this way, the media or discourse is the man in the picture, waiting for that one good piece of gossip to fall from the sky. He completely ignores, however, the big bag of troubles and problems right behind him.
ReplyDeleteThis picture could also relate to the article about the car bomb later on my project. The man in the picture is so absorbed in something that could or might happen that would ruin his perfect yard, that he can't be content with the here and the now. He can't be content that his yard is perfect at that moment in time, rather he speculates the moment the single leaf will fall from the tree. Similarly, almost the entire article about the car bomb is about what would've happened had the bomb gone off, rather than all the positive affects of it not actually going off at all.
ReplyDeleteThe single leaf could also represent an obsession with a single event that really isn't as important or vital as we make it out to be, ad Kevin suggested. No one is going to die if there is a single leaf on the lawn. The neighborhood will not explode and no one will be harmed. Similarly, modern discourse often focuses far too much on events or matters that really have little significance. Why should it matter to us that Lindsay Lohan has a drinking problem? What difference will it make in our lives Justin Bieber got a new hair cut?
I thought this drawing was really well-thought out, it shows how our society has a tendency to focus on all of the things that we could have, instead of what we have. People tend to take what they have for granted and are constantly in the pursuit of newer, better things. This cartoon shows that perfectly by having the man standing aggravated, looking at his watch impatiently, waiting for the last leaf to fall, while completely ignoring the ones that he had already raked and put in the barrel. I also agree with Kevin's point, that it shows how we have a tendency to focus on the small, relatively unimportant aspects of our lives. I just noticed that, interestingly enough, no leaves can be seen on the neighboring lawn behind the man, so it could possibly connect to conformity to some extend as well.
ReplyDelete