Boecker Introduction
Would You Like Some Fries to Go with Your Impact on the Universe?: Rejecting Consumerism
In this generation, materialism runs rampant as more and more devices and comforts seemingly pop up in front of us each day. As easy as it is to constantly consume to feel content, most can identify its happening and find it discomforting and troubling that the grasp of consumerism can clench upon almost all people at one point or another. If so many people can identify materialism’s existence, then why it has grown so prevalent and persistent? The answer: instant gratification. Resisting the allure of instant gratification remains a difficult task that people have grown accustomed to ignoring. The constant struggle to focus on the real values of the world constantly ills our population, to which material items serve as the temporary cure.
William Butler Yeats describes escaping from the grasp of materials by venturing away to a distant isle in his poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree.” Living in a modest cabin surrounded by nature, the speaker finds relaxation and peace in his seclusion from the outside world. He gains his happiness from working hard to build a modest life focused on simple pleasures and the rejection of consuming.
In contrast to escaping from the material world, Allen Ginsberg writes “Howl” as a testament to living inside the constant consumption and greed around us. He articulates the perspectives and experiences of himself and people he has met in his life’s journey to make a definitive point about the judgment toward lifestyles that stray from the norm and the way people ignore the true problems of the world for their focus on materials.
George Watsky expands on the notion of living through consumerism first hand with his song/slam poem, “Tiny Glowing Screens Pt. 2.” He starts out by introducing the vastness of the world and important things that seem to go unnoticed by everyone preoccupied with their own consumption. As a conclusion to his statements about materialism, Watsky states that every little piece of the world can matter and challenges the listener to create a difference in the way their piece makes an impact.
In “When We Were Young,” Ivan Donn Carswell acknowledges the slow onset of materialism that happens in all of us. He describes life as a child, not paying attention to insignificant things about people, such as, the possessions they had or the clothes they wore. He discusses his own trouble with material obsession as he gets older and the way he wishes we could all go back to our child-like ideals.
John Masefield lingers on the way people judge possessions with his poem “Cargoes.” He describes the cargoes of three different ships with the intention that the reader would judge the countries the ships came from by what cargoes they had. The way the British ship gives the impression of a dirty, poor country contrasts with what we actually know about the prestige of Britain shows how our judgments of possessions can be completely incorrect.
Raymond A. Foss concludes with a different view of repentance after succumbing to material items in his poem “Misuse Happens.” He expands on instant gratification and uses a biblical reference to Jesus’ parable “The Prodigal Son” to explain his reasoning that turning a new leaf for the better almost always can lead to ultimately positive outcomes. Although consumerism can impact us, we can all make conscious effort to stop it and change our previous ways.
In this generation, materialism runs rampant as more and more devices and comforts seemingly pop up in front of us each day. As easy as it is to constantly consume to feel content, most can identify its happening and find it discomforting and troubling that the grasp of consumerism can clench upon almost all people at one point or another. If so many people can identify materialism’s existence, then why it has grown so prevalent and persistent? The answer: instant gratification. Resisting the allure of instant gratification remains a difficult task that people have grown accustomed to ignoring. The constant struggle to focus on the real values of the world constantly ills our population, to which material items serve as the temporary cure.
William Butler Yeats describes escaping from the grasp of materials by venturing away to a distant isle in his poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree.” Living in a modest cabin surrounded by nature, the speaker finds relaxation and peace in his seclusion from the outside world. He gains his happiness from working hard to build a modest life focused on simple pleasures and the rejection of consuming.
In contrast to escaping from the material world, Allen Ginsberg writes “Howl” as a testament to living inside the constant consumption and greed around us. He articulates the perspectives and experiences of himself and people he has met in his life’s journey to make a definitive point about the judgment toward lifestyles that stray from the norm and the way people ignore the true problems of the world for their focus on materials.
George Watsky expands on the notion of living through consumerism first hand with his song/slam poem, “Tiny Glowing Screens Pt. 2.” He starts out by introducing the vastness of the world and important things that seem to go unnoticed by everyone preoccupied with their own consumption. As a conclusion to his statements about materialism, Watsky states that every little piece of the world can matter and challenges the listener to create a difference in the way their piece makes an impact.
In “When We Were Young,” Ivan Donn Carswell acknowledges the slow onset of materialism that happens in all of us. He describes life as a child, not paying attention to insignificant things about people, such as, the possessions they had or the clothes they wore. He discusses his own trouble with material obsession as he gets older and the way he wishes we could all go back to our child-like ideals.
John Masefield lingers on the way people judge possessions with his poem “Cargoes.” He describes the cargoes of three different ships with the intention that the reader would judge the countries the ships came from by what cargoes they had. The way the British ship gives the impression of a dirty, poor country contrasts with what we actually know about the prestige of Britain shows how our judgments of possessions can be completely incorrect.
Raymond A. Foss concludes with a different view of repentance after succumbing to material items in his poem “Misuse Happens.” He expands on instant gratification and uses a biblical reference to Jesus’ parable “The Prodigal Son” to explain his reasoning that turning a new leaf for the better almost always can lead to ultimately positive outcomes. Although consumerism can impact us, we can all make conscious effort to stop it and change our previous ways.
Discussion of "Boecker Introduction"
Add your voice to this discussion.
Checking your signed in status ...