Well, another semester comes to a close. I finished my paper yesterday and had it proofread by a friend. I worked on the final paper for a week, usually working on it one hour every day. Out of all the books assigned this semester Made to Break was my favorite. So, I can say I enjoyed writing this paper. Giles Slade made his argument very convincing and thorough, but most of all his style of writing made it enjoyable to read. The subject of “planned obsolescence” is a concept I have thought little of, but I have to say this assignment and this class has opened my eyes. As I went through Slade’s book again, I began to think about the point he is making about Americans becoming more concerned about the e-waste that is starting to pile up. I covered this in my paper and used Slade’s ideas throughout. His last chapter, which I based most of my paper on, Slade comes to the point of his book, that All American must become more aware of the problem of e-waste and to find a solution.
I agreed with Slade’s point of view. I thought about the “going green” movement in America and how it only became popular when the media started to report on it. I went looking on the internet for articles on the green movement. What I found seemed one sided and leaned too heavy on optimistic view. It is not easy to suddenly change our ways and teenager especially, due to the stigma of not “fitting in”. I wrote about the cell phone in my paper and its toxic chemicals when it is discarded.
Technology assists in making our lives easier to live and it cuts our stress factor in half. With this gift, we should be more responsible about how we dispose of these tools/toys. Slade’s argument is sound and I hope my paper is convincing, as convincing as the argument I covered.
