Introduction to me
Hello everyone! I’m Abby. I am currently in English 212, where I am studying how to critically and rhetorically make observations, whether it’s in reading, writing, or just in my everyday life. For me, this class is teaching me how to look deeper into an idea instead of the surface of it. I hope to apply what I learn to my future career as a nurse. This class will hopefully teach me to not just take in whatever information is thrown at me during my career and instead, look at it critically. Who gave me the information? Is there a political or medical reason as to why I am being told to do something? Is that patient in need of help or are they faking it, to try to get medication? These are all important questions to ask yourself in the field I am going into. These questions are what critical thinkers need to think about and what English 212 will be teaching me. I hope this blog helps you to have a little bit of an insight to what I am learning, and I hope I can learn from this blog too! Writing my ideas down and walking through the information I have obtained with each of you seems like the perfect way to learn to me!
So, how many of you have used a map before? Probably almost all of you, right? Well, have you ever realized that all maps are made and expressed differently? They each have their own design, colors, and unique way of organizing the information. Each map is like this because they tell their own story! Sounds crazy to say, right? How can a map tell a story? Well, allow me to explain.
To every map, there is a mapmaker, and each mapmaker has their own thoughts, historical background, political agenda, occupation – the list could go on and on. The point is that each mapmaker is a unique individual who influences how their map is made. They influence what they want you to believe about the map, specific areas on the map, and society. They make a story for you to read.
According to an article my Harley, each mapmaker has different credentials that makes them seem like a credible person to create a map. In the history of mapmaking, only those who were part of the upper social class acquired the credentials to create maps. Because they were apart of the upper class, their creation had a political agenda. Those who were apart of those societies would obscure the map to tell their specific story and show they were in power. During the 19th century, to own lots of land was to own power. The elite would falsely give themselves more power by incorrectly drawing boarder lines, depowering the lower class who may have had more land. The mapmakers portrayed themselves as having more land so when you read the map, it looks as though they have a tremendous amount of power. As you can see, acquiring the credentials to make a map does not mean the map will be made accurately.
A mapmaker will also make sure the story they want you to see is emotionally appealing. As I mentioned before, those who make maps have lots of power because they can influence the map drawing. Because of this ability, they can leave out specific areas of society so it is appealing to those around them. In the Washington Post, reporter Terrance McCoy informs us that the publishing company HarperCollins left out the country Israel in the making of a map for students specifically in the Middle East. They did this to appeal to the “local preferences” of that region as there was hostility with the Arab society. When this mistake was discovered, there was an uproar. People were disgusted that HarperCollins would purposefully leave out Israel. This “mistake” displays how much authority a mapmaker can have. They want the story of the map to appeal to their readers, even if they must obscure the map to do so.
As you can see, maps can be obscured and inaccurate. So, you must ask yourself, is this map accurately drawn or is there some motive behind it, making it incorrect? Not every map will be legitimate. Every map will portray a different story because each mapmaker has a different background. In real life application remember to ask yourself, is this story true?
Abby's Blog 