Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Response to "Java Man"

Malcolm Gladwell's description of the progression of caffeine in western culture helps to portray its effect on the cultures in the world. By starting of and describing the way Coca-Cola was started Gladwell was able to grab my attention because it is a topic I am familiar with. Gladwell went on to tell of the "commercial artist named Haddon Sundblom" and the scheme he used to put Coke in the limelight created "caffeine for children" which finally placed Coke in the homes of Americans and made it a household item.
Other interesting connections between caffeine and society occurred when cafes would bring "thinker's" together to drink and eventually discuss many different social and political occurrences. A very significant cafe which was of interest to me was the cafe de la regence, where many of the individuals we study today including Robespierre, Napoleon, and Voltaire just to name a few would lounge about and discuss different topics. This all resulted from caffeine and its inclusion in the types of drink which people had for leisure.
Instead of merely stating the facts about caffeine and using sources to prove these facts, he takes an entirely different and intriguing background study to tie the paper together. On the other hand the argument seems to place too much responsibility in the hands of an object as simple as coffee. The stimulant is used to wake up those who are tired and are struggling through their day but it in no way brings out the intellect of individuals. The many people who were brought up in the essay were of great importance because their ability to problem solve and give individuals an option to the ways which society had set up for them. The reason for their success was because times had changed and coffee and other caffeine products acted a s a great substitute for the alcohol which was so popular.

1 comment:

  1. General comments on blogs #1-#6:

    Overall, you've done an nice job responding to these postings. I enjoyed reading your responses, particularly to the assigned readings.

    Posting #6 is missing part 2! You were to find three library sources and assess them. (See Student Guide p. 171) Be sure you are reading all of the prompts, and responding with the minimum length requirement.

    Overall, good work.

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