Singularity

Honestly I think the concepts talked about in this article are kind of creepy. The technological era is expanding every day and progress is being made constantly, but the idea of a computers becoming even smarter than humans is frightening. According to the article technology is advancing so quickly that “All that horsepower could be put in the service of emulating whatever it is our brains are doing when they create consciousness,” and I think this is exactly what people are afraid of. There has always been a line drawn between artificial intelligence and organic intelligence. I don’t necessarily think that with the advancement of technology that cyborgs are going to take over the planet or anything that science fictions films may have built a storyline upon, but I think that the idea of not being in control of said technology worries people, as the article states that the “rate of development would also continue to increase, because they would take over their own development from their slower-thinking human creators.” I think some people fear that with so much advance ment the technology will somehow be able to brainwash us, sort of like in Brave New World when Lenina says phrases such as "A gramme in time saves nine” and "Remember one cubic centimetre cures ten gloomy sentiments.” She was taught to say these things, it wasn’t her belief but more what she had always been told to do. I feel like this is what people fear; that technology will progress so much that humans will no longer thing for themselves.

Personally I am not a very big fan of the idea of “Singularity” because I don’t know what would happen if or when technology can out-smart those who created it. According to Kurzweil “the end of human civilization as we know it is about 35 years away.” The results of this Singularity hypothesis are endless. Some people believe this could be greatly beneficial and that human may in-fact merge with artificial intelligence to form some type of cyborg others theorize that this advancement could lead to the annihilation of the human race and theories are formed everywhere in between.

I feel like technology is a very good thing, but I am very weary on how far technology should be developed. I think there is a very significant difference between have technology for beneficial reasons (like in the medical field) and to somewhat preposterous ideas (like Kurzweil believe he can bring back his father). To be honest, I think the idea of Singularity is very possible, I just don’t know how I feel about that much technological progression.

Rhetorical Analysis

It is evident that the "American Dream" is something that everyone desires and strives to achieve, but what is ironic is that when asked, most people cannot define the term.  The term "American Dream" is somewhat vague and indefinite, solely because of the fact that everyone's "dream" is different.  For example, when asked to define success, some would say having a steady job and money in order to support them and their family, whereas my success story would differ.  It would most likely entail a job that I enjoy, rather than a steady job, and a family that I'm happy with and love to come home to, rather than just a family.  It is pivotal for us to take these thoughts into consideration when asked about the "American Dream."  In Murphy's piece, she analyzes what the dream might mean to other immigrants as opposed to Americans.  Using Chinese-Americans as her prime example, Murphy explores the misconstrued perception of the "American Dream."

Murphy establishes her credibility by utilizing a novel accounting for one's family's migration to America.  Murphy assesses Fae Myenne Ng’s, novel, Bone, and the characters found within it. Ng expresses the hardships that a Chinese-American faces after choosing to re-locate to San Francisco's Chinatown.  In short, the father figure in the novel, Leon Leong is unsuccessful and fails at obtaining what he perceived to be the "American Dream."  Murphy allows her audience to question the fact as to why Leong failed?  If he was in America, living in a culture-based town, surrounded by his family, then why was he so unsuccessful?  Murphy then questions the fact as to why, we as Americans, force many immigrants to give up their cultures and traditions upon making the move to the United States.  Sure, if everyone knew and spoke perfect English it would make communicating a lot easier, but who would want a country devoid of different cultures and languages?  By forcing immigrants to give up their native language and cultural traditions upon moving here, we are losing what makes us, as a country, different.  Murphy's capacity to show that individuality is important through her diction and overall structure of her essay, is probably what comes across the strongest.

In analyzing Murphy's composition dealing with the conceptions of the "American Dream," it is evident that essays do not need to follow a coherent or procedural structure.  What is important is the fact that the writer takes a stand and conveys their point of view to the reader, but at the same time assesses the opposite viewpoint without giving the essay a 'wishy-washy' effect