Monday, December 8, 2014

Exploration 8: Liz Williams

Part 1)
One of my favorite explorations that we've had to write about this semester was exploration Four: News sources, research and the power of images. I had been following the news on this topic prior to writing this exploration and found it very interesting and sad to learn about. This is one of the main reasons as to why researching and learning about this specific topic was so intriguing to me.

Here are two of the paragraphs that I wrote for my exploration:
The current war battle the U.S has come to find itself worrisome of is the battle against ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria). This is a noteworthy news topic because although ISIS is terrorizing in different countries, its not to say they couldn't spread their terror in the homeland. It also greatly impacts the lives of U.S citizens because they have executed U.S prisoners with footage at hand, making it difficult for anyone to not be fearful. Their main goal is to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and Syria. As I did my research on this topic, I used CNN and The New York Times. Both news sources have headlines about how U.S airstrikes against ISIS are not working, and that something else needs to be put in action. 

As I concluded my research, I found that the article from CNN was more concerned with presenting the facts of why we need boots on the ground and what the causes would be if we didn't. The article in The New York Times was more concerned with the overall facts of what who is involved and the specific consequences from the Islamic State themselves. This article I thought put more emotion into it, explaining more about the executions and mass murders, as opposed to CNN who strictly stuck with the best possible solutions for stopping ISIS. Both sources however had the same objective, that U.S military airstrikes were not working and that combat boots on the ground is what will actually aid in defeating the Islamic terrorist group. Both also show there opinions of imminent change and the struggles we face if something is not done soon. 


I think I was at my best with these two paragraphs because I evaluated each website thoroughly and got the most out of each article to provide a well documented analysis of the Tiananmen Square protest of 1989. This is the main reason I chose to share this because it is something powerful that is happening in our world today and deserves recognition. This exploration opened my eyes to see the importance of life outside of the boundaries of my own life.

Part 2) 
Since the holiday season is in full swing, I am choosing to write about something I feel we all seem to ignore once this time approaches; a song that we might not realize has a bigger message and symbol than we might initially think when listening to it in the car or at work. In 1984, the charity supergroup, the "Band Aid" (band) released the hit song, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in order to raise money and awareness for anti-poverty efforts in Ethiopia. This supergroup mainly consists of British and Irish musicians and recording-artists. Because of the national and international attention the media captured of the poverty that inhabited Ethiopian cities, these musicians and artists took to action because they saw something that needed to be addressed. Because of the news coverage and images that the media represented, they elicited widespread compassion from the western world and caused an outpour of donations from the public for these victims of intense poverty. 

Recently in 2014, The United Nations had contacted the charity supergroup "Band Aid", saying help was urgently needed in order to stop the Ebola virus in Africa from spreading throughout the world. Without hesitation the group agreed to do it, now known as "Band Aid 30" which is the 2014 incarnation of the original "Band Aid".  The group covered the track "Do They Know It's Christmas?",  and re-tweaked the lyrics to reflect the current Ebola virus epidemic. 

I think this topic is vitally important because it represents that the people whom we idolize in society today take on larger roles and share the compassion and love we wish to spread to the third world countries we otherwise wouldn't be able to help. It shows a great deal of kindness and hope in not just our country, but also the people who inhabit it. They helped raise awareness for people other then themselves, which I think goes a long way in the hearts and minds of people who look up to them. 

4 comments:

  1. I also enjoyed exploration 4. I enjoyed looking through the news and looking at the images that they used. I also liked the topic that you chose to share with us. I thought that it was appropriate to talk about since the holidays were coming up and we all need to stop and realize what the holiday are about.

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  2. great idea to found out the video to support Ebola virus. i think everyone in the world will worry that disease. some people were dying without helping. great job, you did very good

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  3. I enjoyed exploration 4 too. Your part two was very detailed and put together! I think your topic was great to remind people of because of whom we now look up to in todays society. Perfect topic too since it is the holidays!

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  4. Your post has inspired me to go listen to this song now, this is really neat. I haven't heard of the Band Aid group before but definitley going to look into them now. A very neat topic.. unique. I enjoyed your post and exploration 4 as well. Good luck to you in all you do.

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