10/13/08
Meaningless of Life
The meaning of life is different to diverse people. Their views change because of their experiences that they have. With McKibben and Ware, the meaning of life is becoming pointless and less meaningful. They have come to show that life is coming to a point that there is no hope for humans. McKibben thinks this because of technology. Ware thinks like that because of his character Jimmy Corrigan ’s life.
McKibben thinks the meaning of life is becoming meaningless because of the development of technology. The meaningless of life is happening because of robots that are being discovered and genetic selection. Genetic engineers have developed technology that is on such a small scale that McKibben is scared that it will hurt humans in the end. “While the jump to microscale technology may have made life easier, the further jump to nanoscale engineering will eventually drown us in a gushing cornucopia. ”(118) This means that with technology, there is a scare that technolog y will take over everyone. In addition, the engineering is effecting the meaning of life by changing people ’s DNA. McKibben says, “That is, to make them better in some way; to delete, modify, or add genes in the developing embryos.. ”(30). This means that the embryos will be better than what they would have been without the enhancement. That everyone would be more enhanced and that they would just care about certain things.
Ware shows the meaningless in life by his character Jimmy Corrigan. Jimmy had no life, he did nothing but the same thing every day. Jimmy has fantasies of killing his father, his future son, and himself. He has vivid images of killing his father with a broke n coffee mug after his father has sex with his mom (27). Also, his role model, Superman jumps off a building to his death in front of Jimmy ’s work (16). Jimmy just sits at his desk and just looks at the body just lying on the street. In addition to people dying in Jimmy ’s life, he also has no life. Jimmy bought a voice recorder and went into the park to record noises. He recorded birds and a woman telling her boyfriend that she thinks she is falling in love with him. When he gets home he replays the woman talking (42). This shows that Jimmy has nothing really good to do in his spare time. Also, with the woman saying I love you and him replaying it shows that he has no one in his life.
My belief on the meaning of life is that there is one. That people have a purpose in life and that they should try to find it. With Jimmy Corrigan, his life had no meaning. There was nothing to look forward to, but with a majority of people they do. McKibben thinks that life will be taken over by technology. I think that techno logy will be effective towards us. That it will give us meaning to wake up in the morning. It will give someone something to do with their lives. The meaning of life is the purpose of doing something. It gives someone a reason to get up in the morning. That is the meaning of life.
3 comments:
Nobody commented on your post yet, so hopefully i can be helpful.
I like your conclusion, that the meaning of life is advancing technology. I agree with you, but you should but this in your introduction. Most of what Ware and McKibben say can be used to support your conclusion, it is just their conclusions that you disagree with.
You seem to be arguing more that Jimmy is just one sad loser. He has many fantasies, but his life has no meaning. McKibben says that life is losing it's meaning because of technology, but Ware says that life already has no meaning.
There is certainly no singular meaning to life, but if we not find one, then we are doomed to the life of depressed scizofrenia that jimmy lives.
Just as no one wants to be alone in Ritter's Diner at the twilight of their life, no one wants to live a life with no purpose like jimmy does.
McKibben's purpose in life seems to be bashing the reason that silver lives. Neither can be totally right or totally wrong.
Jimmy has no life and no purpose because he does nothing. McKibben is correct because he is keeping active, and Ware is also correct, because he keeps himself busy trying to extend some idea to us.
As you say, "The meaning of life is the purpose of doing something"
tl;dr, Great essay, just add a bit more structure so that you can build up to your conclusion rather than surprising the reader with it.
Jessica Rhodunda
10/13/08
Meaningless of Life
The meaning of life is different to diverse people. Their views change because of their experiences that they have. With McKibben and Ware, the meaning of life is becoming pointless and less meaningful. They have come to show that life is coming to a point that there is no hope for humans. McKibben thinks this because of technology. Ware thinks like that because of his character Jimmy Corrigan ’s life.
My belief on the meaning of life is that there is one. That people have a purpose in life and that they should try to find it. With Jimmy Corrigan, his life had no meaning. There was nothing to look forward to, but with a majority of people they do. McKibben thinks that life is being taken over by technology.
I think that technology will be effective towards us. That it will give us meaning to wake up in the morning. It will give someone something to do with their lives. The meaning of life is the purpose of doing something. It gives someone a reason to get up in the morning. That is the meaning of life.
McKibben thinks the meaning of life is becoming meaningless because of the development of technology. The meaningless of life is happening because of robots that are being discovered and genetic selection. Genetic engineers have developed technology that is on such a small scale that McKibben is scared that it will hurt humans in the end. “While the jump to microscale technology may have made life easier, the further jump to nanoscale engineering will eventually drown us in a gushing cornucopia. ”(118) This means that with technology, there is a scare that technology will take over everyone. In addition, the engineering is effecting the meaning of life by changing people ’s DNA. McKibben says, “That is, to make them better in some way; to delete, modify, or add genes in the developing embryos.. ”(30). This means that the embryos will be better than what they would have been without the enhancement. That everyone would be more enhanced and that they would just care about certain things.
Ware shows the meaningless in life by his character Jimmy Corrigan. Jimmy had no life, he did nothing but the same thing every day. Jimmy has fantasies of killing his father, his future son, and himself. He has vivid images of killing his father with a broke n coffee mug after his father has sex with his mom (27). Also, his role model, Superman jumps off a building to his death in front of Jimmy ’s work (16). Jimmy just sits at his desk and just looks at the body just lying on the street. In addition to people dying in Jimmy ’s life, he also has no life. Jimmy bought a voice recorder and went into the park to record noises. He recorded birds and a woman telling her boyfriend that she thinks she is falling in love with him. When he gets home he replays the woman talking (42). This shows that Jimmy has nothing really good to do in his spare time. Also, with the woman saying I love you and him replaying it shows that he has no one in his life.
The meaning of life is different for different people. Some think that the meaning of life is going down, while others think that the meaning of life is about what you do. The decision of what people do with their lives it up to them.
Brian - You have lots of great comments, but you don't organize them particularly well. You're giving simultaneously good & unfocused feedback.
Jessica - Obviously this is a personal essay on some level. You have reasonable things to say about what both McKibben and Ware have to say about the meaning of life; the best thing here is probably your able use of examples from Ware especially.
But an essay is an argument; an argument is an attempt to convince somebody of something. How should my point of view be changed by reading your essay? You are arguing that everyone has their own goals in life, their own way of finding meaning. Maybe so, maybe not - McKibben and Ware would probably both disagree with that. So make me agree *with you*. *Show me* how you find meaning, and how others find meaning (possibly through technology, since that's something you address in your introduction), in such a way that I can belief that there really is the kind of diversity of meanings that you write about.
In short - your argument is overly generaly, and you are insufficiently assertive (not to mention personal) in making it.
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