My Silence Has A Voice Too

“ Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. ” —Groucho Marx

" Of Atheism " by Sir Francis Bacon Sir Francis Bacon's Central Argument:  Atheists are hypocrites. They  say  they don't believe in God but in their heart, everyone believes in a God.       I disagree with Sir Francis Bacon's view on atheism; or should I say, view against atheism? He seems to have a mindset that atheism is, in fact, a myth or a lie. His essay "Of Atheism" seems to portray that everyone believes in a God, whether they know it or not. I believe that atheists do exist. I believe one can live without a God because of the situations we are dealt, the kind of beliefs we have, and because we just may not know any better.      It's not just a matter of choice. One could easily counter that with statements like people often like to act rebellious or they may say one thing, but believe another. It's more a matter of life, the situations you are put in, and the way you deal with it. Take the life of a poor, uneducated child. A...

" Why Good Advertising Works (Even When You Think It Doesn't) " by Nigel Hollis ( The Atlantic ) Central Argument: Good advertising “ creates positive memories and feelings that influence our behavior over time to encourage us to buy something at a later date.” This is because the advertisement industry understands that no one likes to think they’re gullible. The goal of a good advertisement isn’t directly to sell their product. It is to leave a lasting impression. The said impression keeps you thinking about the product, even though you may or may not realize it. And this may make you think you need or want the product. You also don’t feel as though your decision was influenced by the advert, because you genuinely feel you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it. In retrospect, it explains why I think of Cadbury Bournville Dark Chocolate as expensive and to be bought only for special occasions; their famous catch phrase being, “You don’t just buy a Bournville, you ...

“ TV Is Good For You ” By Joel Waldfogel ( Slate ) Central Argument: TV is helping women in rural India by making them aware of their freedoms, rights, and by bringing them out of a backward mindset. I have lived in rural India and witnessed, as well as experienced women being mistreated not just by their husbands, but their families as well. Seeing other women – on TV shows, in movies, or on shows like Oprah – who have faced the same issues and overcome them empowers these rural women to act on protecting themselves. These women learn small things like having a voice in the household, to bigger things like being able to work, to more serious issues like standing up against Domestic Violence. In many households in India, even all over the world, men claim the title of the “Head of the Family.” Though that aspect of women’s rights and equality is a different ball-game altogether. However, in many Indian households, including mine, the men believe the women are their property and ...

216. A surprising turn of events. We desperately needed a change in our lives. My brother needed to get into a college of his choice, I needed a new school, and my mother needed a new job to fund both our educations (also because she was miserable in her present job). Woodstock School was the best thing that could possibly have happened to my family at this point. My mom got her job, I got my school, and because I was a staff child and didn’t need to pay school fees, my mother could now afford to send my brother to the college of his choice with the best Mass Communication course in the National Capital Region, if not India. Saying I was excited would be the understatement of the century. I was thrilled to be starting off at a new school. There were, of course, the worries about making friends, fitting in, and adjusting to the new system. None of it could conquer my feelings of sheer excitement at getting a chance to start over. God had given me a second chance. By taking up a job s...

226. When you had the desire to run. Last summer I had four and a half months off. Four and a half months away from school. Four and a half months of zero responsibilities. Four and a half months of freedom, which I discovered were actually going to be four and a half months of utter boredom. I had so much planned, so much in mind, for those months. I was ready to have the best time I ever would. Alas, I was to be disappointed. I was to stay with my father for the entire duration of my break. His house was in the city where all my friends were, but barely. He lived on the outskirts where there was no public transport. I couldn’t ask friends to pick me up because I was too far off. I couldn’t walk because any place I wanted to go was too far off. I was still willing to brave it out but my father refused on account of the neighborhood being too dangerous for a girl to walk alone. I had to give him that as I’d already had a close encounter, even with my brother around. To...