The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

Benjamin Walter believed that new age reproduction techniques had diminished the essential value of an artwork. The replication was not in anyway similar to the ways of our ancestors who manage to replicate works of art and maintain its aura. In fact, the ways we reproduce works now make them meaningless. The aura which gives a piece its wow factor has no jurisdiction in these copies. Benjamin believed this was a result of the images being removed from their own setting and being place into foreign mediums and media. I agree with Benjamin's ideas that replication taints the value of a given artwork. For example, the Mona Lisa painting gathers thousand of tourist without  problem. This one painting and all of it original essence captivates the world and for it to not even be finish makes it even more captivating. However, it would not come near the same level of admiration if there was a hyperrealistic poster of it mounted on the wall. Replication has removed the originality and magic of artwork. Thus, a replication could never amount to being on the same level as an original.

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Gun Propaganda

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The Money Spent Selling Sugar to Americans

In this article James Hamblin is addressing the issue of advertisement deception that we as Americans all fall victims to everyday. Advertising companies use tactics such as bright colors, stunning visual imagery and carefully chosen diction to create a perception about their product which may not be entirely true. Words such as "Real" have been discussed in this article to show a tactic which is used. A company such as Kellogg's uses this word to say they use "real" ingredients to give a facade of all naturally ingredients when in actuality the only real thing being used is the amount of sugar put into a product. More than 50 percent of the crops grown in America are planted to produce crops which can be manufactured into sugar. Whilst fruits and vegetables only maintain five percent of the crops. People are feeding into the industry simply because they have a very appealing taste and this drives people away from healthier produce because taste is wired into a psychological need rather than simply a sensation created from your mouth. The markets will continue to pour money into these advertisements as long as every American still has this overwhelming craving for "real" ingredients and sugar.

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