Composition #1 Prompt (WLAC Eng 103) Is that really the vibe?: Thoughts on What Compels Us To Be (Due Monday 4/27 by 11:59pm)
“The phrase "consumer society"
complements the description of the present
social order as an "industrial society."
Needs are tailored by the mass media to
create a public demand for utterly useless
commodities, each carefully engineered to
deteriorate after a predetermined period of
time.”
- Murray Bookchin, Post Scarcity
Anarchism
Writing Prompt (Pick 1 of the prompts to write about)
- Considering Steve McKevitt’s “Everything Now” with his discussion about Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs (126), as well as Laurence Shames’ essay “The More Factor,” write a composition
illustrating, refuting, or complicating the proposition that “the hunger for more” is driven by the
fact that “our needs have been fulfilled and so, for the first time ever, we have an economy that
is almost entirely devoted to the business of satisfying our wants instead” (Mckevitt 3). What role
does “identity” play in this hunger, if any?
Or - Write a composition in which you agree, disagree, or modify Thomas Frank’s argument that
marketing no longer promotes conformity but, rather, promotes “never-ending self-fulfillment”
and “constantly updated individualism” (“Commodify”; paragraph 6). Evaluate some current
advertising in a magazine or on the Internet, to assess whether the countercultural idea and the
associated “iconography of the rebel” (para. 9) still prevail in advertising; how does this play into
said individualism?
Details
- MLA Formatted (Typed, following MLA Standards [see sample on Canvas])
- Using at least 1 article and 2 quotes from our readings so far
- 3-4 Pages Minimum
- Work Cited Page (Follow MLA sample, and try to recall what you know about work cited
pages; citation information for our textbook on Canvas as well)
Sample Solution