The Dumbing Down of American Fiction :: English Literature Fiction Books Essays

Tyler

Tyler Genuine American Tragedy I picked Death of a Salesman as a result of its break from the standard. In a day where we see a great many motion pictures of adages and upbeat endings, I figured it is ideal to peruse something that goes separate ways with the adoration vanquishes all,â‚⠝ heroes winâ‚⠝ standards of present day film. Passing of a Salesman challenges the American dream. Prior to the Depression, a hopeful America offered the appealing guarantee of progress and wealth. Willie experiences his disappointment with the American dream, for it bombs him and his child. Somehow or another, Willy and appear to be caught in a transitional time of American history. Willy, presently sixty-three, completed an enormous piece of his vocation during the Depression and World War II. The guarantee of achievement that spellbound him in the idealistic 1920's was broken by the unforgiving financial real factors of the 1930's. The uncommon flourishing of the 1950's stayed far in the futu re.My American DreamWilly Loman speaks to a one of a kind, yet fair American figure: the voyaging sales rep. Consistently, he takes an excursion to stake his offer for progress. It is hard to miss the endurance of the American wilderness attitude in the figure of the voyaging sales rep. The scramble for gold and land in the nineteenth-century American West intensely affected the possibility of the American dream. It is no fortuitous event that in the 1950's, the decade generally engrossed with the legendary American dream, America encountered a phenomenal relationship with Westerns.Willy and Biff attempt to manufacture their adaptation of the American dream with their families. In secondary school, Biff was the all-American kid as the skipper of the football crew. Consistent with the legend of the all-American kid, young ladies and appreciating companions encompassed him. Willy and Linda's lives are loaded with regularly scheduled installments on assets...

I must at least try

I must at least try In June 1985, two British mountaineers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates made the first-ever climb of the West Face of the 21,000 foot snow-covered Siula Grande mountain in Peru. It was an exceptionally tough assault but nothing compared to what was to come. Early in the descent, Simpson fell and smashed his right knee. Yates could have abandoned him but managed to find a way of lowering him down the mountain in a series of difficult drops blinded by snow and cold. Then Simpson fell into a crevasse and Yates eventually had no choice but to cut the rope, utterly convinced that his friend was now dead.In his subsequent book on the climb entitled Touching The Void, Joe Simpson wrote:As I gazed at the distant moraines, I knew that I must at least try. I would probably die out there amid those boulders. The thought didnt alarm me. It seemed reasonable, matter-of-fact. That was how it was. I could aim for something. If I died, well, that wasnt so surprising, but I wouldnt have just waited for i t to happen. The horror of dying no longer affected me as it had in the crevasse. I now had the chance to confront it and struggle against it. It wasnt a bleak dark terror any more, just fact, like my broken leg and frostbitten fingers, and I couldnt be afraid of things like that. My leg would hurt when I fell and when I couldnt get up I would die. The survival of Yates himself was extraordinary. That Simpson somehow found a way of climbing out of the crevasse after 12 hours and then literally crawled and dragged himself six miles back to camp, going three days and nights without food or drink, losing three stone, and contracting ketoacidosis in the process, would be the stuff of heroic fiction if it was not so true. Indeed, six operations and two years later, he was even back climbing. All because, against all the odds, he tried Source: Touching The Void by Joe Simpson

Zabriskie Point by Michelangelo Antonioni - 1757 Words

Thesis: The use of silence in Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point is a reflection of his signature themes of alienation, inability to communicate, sexuality, and the focus on the psychology of the characters, not action and his signature style of the focus on objects instead of people and long tracking and panning shots. Zabriskie Point is a film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni in 1970. The film follows Mark, a college dropout, and Daria, an anthropology student. The use of silence is seen continuously throughout the film. The themes seen in Zabriskie Point that are common of Antonioni include sexuality, inability to communicate, alienation, and the focus on the psychology of characters, not action. The style of Antonioni that is seen in Zabriskie Point include the focus of objects instead of people and long tracking and panning shots. Antonioni’s themes and style are shaped by the use of silence in Zabriskie Point. In Zabriskie Point the main focus of the film is on Daria who eventually meets Mark. Mark is active in campus protests. While participating in a campus protests the police tear-gas some of the protestors to break up the protest. Mark almost shoots a police officer, but someone else shoots the officer first. Mark escapes before the police could arrest him. After fleeing the protest Mark takes a bus to a town with a small airport, steals a plane, and flies out to the desert. While Mark is participating in protests and stealing a plane Daria is in her car

Imagery of Disease and Decay in Hamlet Essays - 1069 Words

Imagery of Disease and Decay in Hamlet William Shakespeare found that imagery was a useful tool to give his works greater impact and hidden meaning. In Hamlet, Shakespeare used imagery to present ideas about the atmosphere, Hamlets character, and the major theme of the play. He used imagery of decay to give the reader a feel of the changing atmosphere. He used imagery of disease to hint how some of the different characters perceived Hamlet as he put on his antic disposition. And finally, he used imagery of poison to emphasize the main theme of the play; everybody receives rightful retribution in the end. Early in Hamlet, Shakespeares first use of imagery was of decay. Marcellus says, Something is rotten in the†¦show more content†¦The imagery of decay used at slightly different parts of the play shows Shakespeares mastery of imagery to change the atmosphere, and therefore, to give the story more impact. Later in the play, Shakespeare began using imagery of disease. One example of this came when Hamlet says, Sir, I cannot make you a wholesome answer; my wits diseased, (III; ii; 296-298) to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern when they were sent by the queen to give Hamlet a message. The imagery of disease used here exposes that Hamlet is distracted by the suspicion he has for Rosencratz and Guildenstern since they were caught earlier for spying on him for the king. Moreover, this quote implies that Hamlet is distracted with thoughts of how he will murder Claudius. However, Hamlet uses the word diseased to highlight his antic disposition and to make Rosencrantz and Guildenstern think that he is truly mad, and therefore, throws them off of his plans. Imagery of disease was used a second time when Claudius says, Diseases desperate grown by desperate appliance are relieved, or not at all, (III; ii; 243) while he was contemplating the idea of sending Hamlet to England. Here, Claudius says diseas es in the sense that he thinks Hamlet (the desperate appliance) is mad, and therefore, is a threat to him. Thus, he thinks of sending Hamlet to England. Once again, the imagery of diseaseShow MoreRelated Bitter Imagery in Hamlet Essay966 Words   |  4 PagesBitter Imagery in Hamletnbsp;nbsp;nbsp; In Hamlet, imagery of disease, poison and decay, are used by Shakespeare for a purpose. The descriptions of disease, poison, and decay help us understand the bitter relationships that exist in the play and Hamlet’s own cynicism. We see Hamlet’s pessimism in his soliloquy when he contemplates suicide. The resentful relationship that exists between Claudius and Hamlet is heightened with the use of imagery when Claudius asks about Polonius. Imagery enhancesRead More Disease and Death in Hamlet Essay992 Words   |  4 PagesDisease and Death in Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚   In Shakespeares time, Denmark was a horrible, rotting, poisoned land due to its hidden deceit. In Hamlet, Shakespeare makes many references to this as a means of clarifying relationships in the story. Writers often use imagery to provide detail and development, which help us understand ideas within and the atmosphere of the play. Hamlet, Horatio, and the ghost are the characters who allude to Denmarks state of decay. 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For this reason, many of the images that Hamlet creates in the play are connected with disease and poison. The literal poisoning becomes symbolic of the rest of the events of the play. Remember that poisoningRead More“Literary Techniques Used in Hamlet”, by William Shakespeare Essay1064 Words   |  5 Pages The revenge tragedy, “Hamlet”, by William Shakespeare is a tale of murder, secrets and lies where a son is called upon by the ghost of his father to avenge his death. Shakespeare uses a range of techniques in order to influence the readerÂ’s understanding of “HamletÂ’s” main themes and ideas. The most effective techniques used within the play are the soliloquies that give depth of both character and story, the powerful displays of imagery used within the play, and the dual understandingRead MoreImagery And Imagery Of Shakespeare s Hamlet1015 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeare’s Hamlet uses imagery as a means to develop the ideas that grow out of the representation of a thought. Shakespeare uses imagery as vivid or figurative language to represent objects, acti ons and ideas. The imagery of disease, poison and decay is used throughout the play by Shakespeare for a purpose. The descriptions are of disease, poison and decay to help us understand the bitter relationships between the characters that exist in the play and Hamlet’s own cynicism. We see Hamlet’s soliloquyRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet - The Moral Corruption Essay2770 Words   |  12 Pages William Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been widely regarded as one of the greatest tragedies ever written. One prominent theme exemplified in this particular play is the theme of rottenness or decay. Shakespeare uniquely uses disease, rotting, and decay in order to reveal the manifestation and consequence of moral corruption. Physical corruption mirrors the moral corruption within the characters in the play. The moral corruption in Denmark is showcased for the readers throughout the play by images ofRead MoreEssay on Hamlet Metaphor1089 Words   |  5 PagesIterative use of vivid and detailed imagery in a piece of literature is often a way of expressing a theme or concept in a literary work. This is the case in William Shakespeares Hamlet, a revenge tragedy that continually depicts the vibrant metaphors of manifesting corruption and festering disease in order to auger the impending calamities in the state of Denmark. Throughout Shakespeares play, there are successive images of dete rioration, decay and death. These images are skilfully accomplishedRead MoreCorruption: The Good, The Bad and The Decayed Essay879 Words   |  4 Pages Death and decay often convey corruption within a story. The use of this particular imagery allows one to make a connection between the natural world and the nature of people. Throughout Hamlet, a play, set in Denmark, which was written in the early seventeenth century by William Shakespeare, there are several instances where one sees decay depicting corruption. Though this play is filled with massive images of decaying nature, it is also filled with images of nature in its beautiful state. BecauseRead More hamlet metaphor Essay1073 Words   |  5 PagesIterative use of vivid and detailed imagery in a piece of literature is often a way of expressing a theme or concept in a literary work. This is the case in William Shakespearequot;quot;s Hamlet, a revenge tragedy that continually depicts the vibrant metaphors of manifesting corruption and festering disease in order to auger the impending calamities in the state of Denmark. Throughout Shakespearequot;quot;s play, there are successive images of deterioration, decay and death. These images are skilfully

Writing the Memo Free Essays

WRITING AN OFFICE MEMORANDUM If you work as a paralegal or law clerk after your first or second year of law school, you will most likely spend some of your time researching and writing objective memoranda, or interoffice memos. Typically, an attorney asks you to provide a realistic analysis of the law as it applies to the facts of a client’s case. The purpose is to inform – not persuade. We will write a custom essay sample on Writing the Memo or any similar topic only for you Order Now Although you should remember which conclusion favors your client, also keep in mind that you will represent the client most effectively by being objective and realistic. The memo might be read many times – possibly, over a period of months or years by several different attorneys, including the writer, who may use it as a resource long after it is drafted. The attorney will use the information contained in the memo to advise the client and may use it to prepare a document that will ultimately be filed in court. For example, a partner may be asking you whether a particular client has a valid legal claim. If you conclude that the answer is â€Å"yes,† then this will probably turn into a lawsuit. At that point, some parts of the memo may be incorporated when the complaint is drafted. The memo might me consulted a third time when the attorney responds to a motion to dismiss; a fourth time while drafting interrogatories; a fifth time before making a motion for summary judgment; a sixth time before trial; and a seventh during an appeal; and so on. PARTS OF MEMO[1] 1. A memorandum heading 2. The Issue (sometimes called Question Presented) states the question(s) that the memorandum resolves. The Issue also itemizes the few facts that you predict to be crucial to the answer. (Such as travel expenses to out-of-state, keeping child out of danger, and commission of crime). The reader should understand the question without having to refer to the facts. 3. Brief Answer (sometimes called Conclusion) states the writer’s prediction and summarizes concisely why it is likely to happen. Some writers begin with a direct response such as â€Å"yes† or â€Å"probably not. † Our book says that they do not prefer this. Sometimes this is client or partner driven. Also, some questions lend themselves to answers such as â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no. † Allusion to determinative facts and rules. Do not omit key facts. Begin by just re-stating your issue as a declarative sentence. Do not omit the reasoning. Do not include citation to authority or application of relevant law. Many attorneys only read this part. 4. Facts set out the facts on which the prediction is based. 5. Discussion is the largest and most complex part of memo. It proves the conclusion set out in brief answer. If the discussion is highly detailed or analyzes several issues, it should be broken down into subheadings. Here is what the memo will look like and more information on each section. MEMORANDUM TO:Senior Partner [Please block-indent so that the information lines up, as demonstrated] FROM:Your Name DATE:(date assignment is submitted) RE:(A concise label for the issue considered: mention the parties; your firm will file your Memo by names and cause of action–and, perhaps, by jurisdiction) The proper format is always double-spaced. Do not double-double space between sections. Plain old, regular double-space is sufficient. FACTS Here, recite all material facts, usually in chronological order. A â€Å"material† fact is a â€Å"dispositive† fact, or one upon which the outcome will depend. It is a fact that will affect the outcome in one way or another. Please include all material procedural facts as well as all material substantive facts. This means that it is essential to include all relevant times, dates, and places. You should begin with an â€Å"overview† sentence that sets the full context and begins to describe the problem presented. Please review your reading and as many samples as possible to understand both the range and scope of what is acceptable as professional practice. Remember your role Watch for the tendency to try to â€Å"prove† something by the way you tell the story. NO LEGAL ANALYSIS! 1) USE NEUTRAL LANGUAGE AND OBJECTIVE CHARACTERIZATIONS. Rather than writing â€Å"the D was speeding through the school zone,† write â€Å"the D was traveling 50 MPH through the school zone. Rather than writing â€Å"The D brutally beat the victim,† write â€Å"The D struck the P on the head, resulting in a cut over his left eye. † 2) Include unfavorable and favorable facts. QUESTION PRESENTED Phrased as a question and ending with a question mark, state the specific issue or issue s you will address. One method is to use the technique: under? (describe the law); does? (state the issue); what? (give the legally relevant or â€Å"dispositive† facts). Some memoranda use the commonly seen style of: â€Å"Whether . . . .† As always, discuss with your professor to see which he or she prefers. But whatever the method, the following advice applies: †¢ Should be concise single sentences that include relevant facts and general propositions of law. †¢ Don’t say, â€Å"Whether a niece can recover for negligent infliction of emotional distress,† when you can say, â€Å"Whether, under Iowa law, a niece who witnesses the aftermath of an automobile accident involving her uncle from a block away can recover for negligent infliction of emotional distress when she observes his severe injuries upon arrival at the scene. † BRIEF ANSWER You phrased (or asked) a question in the section above. Answer it here: â€Å"Yes. † â€Å"No. â€Å"Probably not. † Use a period. Your Brief Answer follows the same formula and sequence as your Question Presented. It answers the questions â€Å"under? does? what? † except, the Brief Answer should include a brief statement of your reasons beginning with the word â€Å"because. † DISCUSSION The he art of a Memorandum, this section asks you to explain the law and explain the facts. Getting it â€Å"right† will take time. Be patient. Your goal is to â€Å"synthesize† the cases and extract a common rule of law. To do this, you will need to identify the common elements that allow you to analyze and discuss several cases at once. A common mistake, legal writers frequently engage in â€Å"listing behavior. † They treat each case independently and sequentially, beginning each paragraph with â€Å"In†Ã¢â‚¬â€œfor example, â€Å"In Callow v. Thomas† or â€Å"In Brown v. Brown. † Looking down a written page, the lawyer will see a ladder-like effect, the â€Å"in-ladder,† where each succeeding paragraph begins with the word â€Å"in† followed by a case title. Often â€Å"listing behavior† culminates in â€Å"dump-trucking† when the lawyer saves up and â€Å"dumps† all the legal analysis into the last paragraph. In addition, lawyers will frequently â€Å"front-load,† squeezing all the legal rules of law into the very first paragraph. To avoid these pitfalls, begin your discussion with a general overview in a thesis or â€Å"roadmap† paragraph. Your thesis paragraph is the first paragraph in the Memorandum – and the first paragraph in a Discussion section. Always begin your thesis paragraph with a sentence to anticipate–and announce–your ultimate conclusion. Tell the reader where you are headed and be a tour-guide to your argument or analysis. Then, taking one point at a time, write a thesis sentence that answers the questions of â€Å"what-is-your-point? of this particular paragraph. Next, set forth the legal Rule that applies. Include the proper citation. Next, Analyze (explain) what the law or legal rule means. Next, Analyze (explain) how the relevant facts fit (or do not fit) the legal or factual standard. Finally, Conclude each paragraph with a summari zing statement and each sub-issue with a specific sub-issue summary. Sometimes, this method is referred to as a variation of the acronym: IRAC. Other legal writing professors have some other acronym such as REAAC or FIRAC. Still, others simply refer to it as the 5-step process. Keep in ind that these are all â€Å"formulas† that legal writing professionals are using to introduce you to presenting a legal argument. Ultimately, you will use a style or formula that works best for your particular argument. But virtually every aspect of every legal argument must contain a 1) Statement of Rule or Applicable Law; 2) Analysis of the law and how it Applies to your relevant facts; and 3) a Conclusion on each of these sub-issues. Similarly, when a discussion requires several paragraphs, the writer may not reproduce the exact IRAC structure within each and every paragraph, but may require several paragraphs to develop fully the full set. As always, know your audience and talk about the method of legal analysis that your professor, or in the future, your employer, prefers. And remember that learning how to synthesize statutes, cases, and secondary sources and then presenting them in a clear, concise, and logical manner takes time and practice. A FEW IDEAS ABOUT WRITING — MEMORANDA[2] Many students, approaching memo writing for the first time, are often unsure of how to proceed. We have put together a few tips for first (and second and third) time memo writers that we hope will be helpful. Note: No single set of guidelines could possibly address all the matters related to memo writing. If you have questions about a particular assignment, be sure to check with your professor. 1. Find the test(s). In assigning a memorandum, professors are generally evaluating you on parsing a particular statute or test. In other words, they want you to use other cases to explain how your case either does or does not satisfy a test laid out in a case or a statute. For example, let’s say your case involves a niece (Mary) who witnessed her uncle (Jack) being injured in an automobile accident. Mary wants to bring suit for negligent infliction of emotional distress as a result of witnessing that accident. In Burger v. McDonald, the Supreme Court of Iowa laid out a three part test to determine whether a bystander’s injury was reasonably foreseeable and, thus, legally actionable: 1. Whether the bystander was located near the accident. 2. Whether the injury resulted from sensory and contemporaneous observance of the accident, as opposed to hearing about it from others after its occurrence. 3. Whether the bystander and the victim were closely related. NOTE: If the memo involves more than one issue, your memorandum may involve more than one test. 2. Use the test as your outline. Tests come in two parts, or three (as above), often with subsections. Ideal for an outline. Use the major parts of the test as your major points, the subparts as sub-sections. Paragraph Structure 3. Begin paragraphs with affirmative propositions that parallel the test. In the above example, your first sentence should say something like: â€Å"Mary was located near the scene of her uncle’s accident, satisfying the first part of the Burger test. † 4. Support your affirmative propositions. All propositions of a legal nature must have legal support. Where is your authority for your proposition? Cite it. For example: â€Å"See Burger, 606 N. W. 2d at 321 (bystander must be located near accident to recover for negligent infliction of emotional distress). † 5. Discuss the facts of your support. What happened in the case you just cited? Explain in a concise and relevant way. For example: â€Å"In Burger, the court held that a mother who witnessed an accident on the street from the front door of her house was located near the scene of an accident. 6. Discuss the relevant facts of your case. Point to the facts that are similar to the facts of the authority you’ve just discussed. For example, you could continue from above as follows: â€Å"Mary was standing a block from the accident, heard the crash, and saw her uncle being pulled, bleeding, from the car. † 7. Analogize/Conclude. What conclusions do you think the cou rt will draw from the similarity between your facts and the facts of your authority? For example: â€Å"Although Mary did not see the accident, she was close enough to hear it and witness her uncle being pulled from the car. Thus, a court will likely conclude that she was located near the accident. † Alternative Paragraph Structure 8. Discuss other relevant authority. Once you’ve opened the previous paragraph with your affirmative proposition, your subsequent paragraphs can discuss the facts of other relevant cases without repeating the proposition as your opening sentence. For example, you could begin the next paragraph: â€Å"In Cameron v. Jones, the Court of Appeals held that a mother who was twenty-five feet away from her child when she heard a metal sculpture fall on him was located near the scene of the accident. 9. Discuss contrary authority. Are there cases that go against your position (or the position the partner/judge/etc. would like you to hold)? Another subsequent paragraph could open with: â€Å"But, in Alfred v. Stern, the court held that a father did not have a valid cause of action for negligent infliction of emotional distress. † Then follow steps 5, 6, and 7, above, except this time, when concluding, tell the reader why the court won’t follow or give much weight to this contrary authority (e. g. , the facts are different). 10. Move on to the next part of the test. Follow steps 3-9 above for the next section of your test. Remember, a memorandum also includes issues presented, a brief answer (which usually follows the issues presented), and a statement of facts. These are often best written after you’ve written the body of the memorandum, since you’ll have a better idea of the issues once you’ve tackled the problem (though a tentative draft might help to get you started). Here is a checklist for those introductory sections of an office memorandum: Heading 1. Have you included the name of the requesting attorney (or professor), your name, the date, the client’s name, and a phrase identifying the particular legal matter or issue? Facts 2. Have you included all legally significant facts? 3. Have you included sufficient factual context? 4. Have you included any major emotional facts? 5. Have you avoided including discussion of legal authority? 6. Have you avoided â€Å"arguing† the facts or drawing legal conclusions? 7. Have you identified the client and the client’s situation at the beginning of the Fact Statement? 8. Have you selected an appropriate organization (chronological, topical) for the facts? 9. Have you maintained neutral language and objective characterizations? 10. Have you included both favorable and unfavorable facts? Question Presented 11. Have you stated the legal question and the significant facts? 12. Have you edited to achieve one readable sentence? 13. Have you maintained an objective perspective? Brief Answer 14. Have you stated the answer in the first several words? 15. Have you included a statement of the rule? 16. Have you stated a summary of the reasoning leading to the answer? 17. Have you kept the BA to a maximum of one-third to one-half a double-spaced page? 18. Have you taken a position, even if you are not sure? ———————– 1] Be sure to keep in mind that an office memo is an internal document for law firms; therefore, each particular firm is likely to have a preferred format. For example, the firm may use different words for different sections title, may order sections differently than described here, or it may include other sections not described in this manual. If your re ader (whether it be your professor or your employer) has a preferred format, obviously use it. If you are not sure if your reader has a particular preference, then ask! [2] Many of these tips were originally created by Writing Resource Center, University of Iowa College of Law. How to cite Writing the Memo, Essay examples

My Broyhers Peculiar chicken free essay sample

What hard liquor, cigarettes, heroin, and crack have in common is that theyre all more concentrated forms of less addictive predecessors. Most if not all the things we describe as addictive are. And the scary thing is the process that created them is accelerating. We wouldnt want to stop it. Its the same process that cures diseases: technological progress. Technological progress means making things do more of what we want. When the thing we want is something we want to want, we consider technological progress good. If some new technique makes solar cells x% more efficient, that seems strictly better. When progress concentrates something we dont want to want—when it transforms opium into heroin—it seems bad. But its the same process at work. Could you restrict technological progress to areas where you wanted it? Only in a limited way, without becoming a police state. We will write a custom essay sample on My Broyhers Peculiar chicken or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page And even then your restrictions would have undesirable side effects. Good and bad technological progresses aren’t sharply differentiated, so youd find you couldnt slow the latter without also slowing the former. And in any case, as Prohibition and the war on drugs show, bans often do more harm than good. No one doubts this process is accelerating, which means increasing numbers of things we like will be transformed into things we like too much. Technology has always been accelerating. By Paleolithic standards, technology evolved at a blistering pace in the Neolithic period. As far as I know theres no word for something we like too much. The closest is the colloquial sense of addictive. That usage has become increasingly common during my lifetime. And its clear why: there are an increasing number of things we need it for. At the extreme end of the spectrum are crack and meth. Food has been transformed by a combination of factory farming and innovations in food processing into something with way more immediate bang for the buck, and you can see the results in any town in America. Checkers and solitaire have been replaced by World of War craft and Farmville. Television has become much more engaging, and even so it cant compete with the most famous of nowadays-Facebook. The world is more addictive than it was 40 years ago. And unless the forms of technological progress that produced these things are subject to different laws than technological progress in general, the world will get more addictive in the next 40 years than it did in the last 40. The next 40 years will bring us some wonderful things. I dont mean to imply theyre all to be avoided. Alcohol is a dangerous drug, but Id rather live in a world with wine than one without. Most people can coexist with alcohol; but you have to be careful. More things we like will mean more things we have to be careful about. Most people wont, unfortunately. Which means that as the world becomes more addictive, the two senses in which one can live a normal life will be driven ever further apart? One sense of normal is statistically normal: what everyone else does. The other is the sense we mean when we talk about the normal operating range of a piece of machinery: what works best. These two senses are already quite far apart. Already someone trying to live well would seem eccentrically abstemious in most of the US. That phenomenon is only going to become more pronounced. You can probably take it as a rule of thumb from now on that if people dont think youre weird, youre living badly. Societies eventually develop antibodies to addictive new things. Ive seen that happen with cigarettes. When cigarettes first appeared, they spread the way an infectious disease spreads through a previously isolated population. Smoking rapidly became a (statistically) normal thing. There were ashtrays everywhere. We had ashtrays in our house when I was a kid, even though neither of my parents smoked. You had to for guests. As knowledge spread about the dangers of smoking, customs changed. In the last 20 years, smoking has been transformed from something that seemed totally normal into a rather seedy habit: from something movie stars did in publicity shots to something small huddles of addicts do outside the doors of office buildings. A lot of the change was due to legislation, of course, but the legislation couldnt have happened if customs hadnt already changed. It took a while though—on the order of 100 years. And unless the rate at which social antibodies evolve can increase to match the accelerating rate at which technological progress throws off new addictions, well be increasingly unable to rely on customs to protect us. Unless we mass produce social customs. I suspect the recent resurgence of evangelical Christianity in the US is partly a reaction to drugs. In desperation people reach for the sledgehammer; if their kids wont listen to them, maybe theyll listen to God. But that solution has broader consequences than just getting kids to say no to drugs. You end up saying no to science as well. I worry we may be heading for a future in which only a few people plot their own itinerary through no-land, while everyone else books a package tour. Or worse still, has one booked for them by the government. Unless we want to be canaries in the coal mine of each new addiction—the people whose sad example becomes a lesson to future generations—well have to figure out for ourselves what to avoid and how. It will actually become a reasonable strategy (or a more reasonable strategy) to suspect everything. In fact, even that wont be enough. Well have to worry not just about new things, but also about existing things becoming more addictive. Thats what bit me. Ive avoided most addictions, but the Internet got me because it became addictive while I was using it. People commonly use the word procrastination to describe what they do on the Internet. It seems to me too mild to describe whats happening as merely not-doing-work. We dont call it procrastination when someone gets drunk instead of working. Most people I know have problems with Internet addiction. Were all trying to figure out our own customs for getting free of it. Thats why I dont have an iPhone, for example; the last thing I want is for the Internet to follow me out into the world. Several people have told me they like the iPad because it lets them bring the Internet into situations where a laptop would be too conspicuous. In other words, its a hip flask. This is true of the iPhone too, of course, but this advantage isnt as obvious because it reads as a phone, and everyones used to those. My latest trick is taking long hikes. I used to think running was a better form of exercise than hiking because it took less time. Now the slowness of hiking seems an advantage, because the longer I spend on the trail, the longer I have to think without interruption. Sounds pretty eccentric, doesnt it? It always will when youre trying to solve problems where there are no customs yet to guide you. Maybe I cant plead Occams razor; maybe Im simply eccentric. But if Im right about the acceleration of addictiveness, then this kind of lonely squirming to avoid it will increasingly be the fate of anyone who wants to get things done. Well increasingly be defined by what we say no to.