Author: Charles (Page 4 of 11)

Throughout the semester we have discussed writing in different genres be it a poem, speech or comedic style of writing. In each of these instances the Author (or orator) is attempting to reach a target audience meaning a specific type of people in a group with a similar mindset (for example a musician trying to communicate to aspiring artists) and they pick a genre best suited for their audience. A few authors/orators styles we have discussed are Jamilla Lyiscott, James Baldwin and Lynda Barry. Each of these people reached their target audience by writing in their own manner suited to that specific demographic, each were successful in their own unique way. When I wrote my essay on “When did cars become an integral part of our culture (and where i think the future will yeild)” I knew that the proportion of the audience interested in what i had to say was most likely either history buffs or car enthusiasts, as I did not think the average person would just decide “why don’t I go read about cars” it’s not something that captivates the attention of the average person but rather a select group of like minded individuals (thus a target audience/ specific demographic). If I wanted to capture the attention of the entire class I think i would have to speak of a topic with less nuance and a much broader perspective such as talking about who might win the presidential election which will most likely hold some attention as everybody is talking about the election this week so it is more “relevant” with the common person. I think I would like to continue my nuanced research from unit two perhaps with a slightly different focus although I do understand that not a whole lot of people are interested in reading about it and the target audience within the class most likely represents a minority.

(Late Submission)

Introducing my research question, When did cars become an integral part of our culture (and where they might be going in the future). The reason I am interested in this question is a bit complex but i will try to explain the numerous nuances that formed the thought in my head that prompted me to write about it. I will begin with the fact that I love cars (especially fast ones) it’s difficult to explain my fascination but you can say driving a sports car for me is like getting high except being in full possession of myself like dopamine for the brain driving makes me happy. But enough about how i feel driving I am also interested in the history of cars (also my favorite topic in school happened to be history) and when did us humans just start taking cars for granted? what I expect to find in my research is that modern cars because they have so many driving assists and features that aid the driver such as an automatic transmission for example help remove the driver from “being one with the car” and thus making it like sitting at desk with the invention of the car roof being over 110 years old cars are well insulated to the point where you barely know your in one some of the time. And I think its only going to progress in that direction until we have fully self driving cars in the future. Cars are also a common site and you think to yourself “what are somethings i see on the street?” well over there with trees street signs and sidewalks are cars and traffic lights which occupy the vast majority or square feet in outdoor spaces in a city. So when did cars just takeover and become such a common comodity? well that’s really what this essay is about. I think some good potential sources of information to compile on this topic would be Wikipedia, online blogs on notable car websites such as car and driver, Books discussing American lifestyle (as cars play a bigger role then we think it can be a symbol of high status or indicating what your profession is, you can tell a lot about someone based upon their car or least Sherlock Holmes would certainly be able to) and as a final source i would use/used A good old fashioned automotive history book

( The history of gasoline powered cars and emissions. Source IBM.com and Wikipedia )

The Auto industry seems poised for an electric car (EV) takeover as an alternative to the classic internal combustion engine that powered practically every vehicle for over a hundred years as electric vehicles were popular once but then phased out due to the gasoline powered vehicle just offered everything better such as dramatically longer range and a quicker time to refuel then recharge (and a lack of areas to actually recharge your EV it just was not a plausible option to even consider) However modern EV’s are now making a come back due to a few factors which we will discuss primarily environmental concerns. Up until 1963 there were no laws or regulations dictating how much emissions can or cannot come out of your vehicles tailpipe and as a result cities such as Los Angeles had issues with smog. Smog is a type of intense air pollution that takes the form of a dense haze thus limiting visibility and dramatically reducing the air quality that we breathe. In the mid 1900’s the number of cars and trucks on the road were rapidly rising one result of this was an increase of air pollution especially in cities and had serious impacts on the public’s health and the environment. in 1970 Congress passed the Clean Air Act and gave the newly formed EPA the legal authority to regulate pollution from motor vehicles. The U.S. vehicle pollution control is a success by many measure although many were upset by the reduced performance of their vehicle due to tight emission regulations. New passenger vehicles are 98% cleaner then equivalent vehicles produced in the 1960’s and U.S. cities have vastly improved air quality despite an increase of population and an increase of vehicles on the road since the enactment of the clean air act. The clean air act has led to “cleaner” Cars,Trucks and fuels, cars have much less hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and particle emissions to be specific. The EPA also began to phase out lead in gasoline starting in the 1970’s and leaded gasoline was fully prohibited after 1995 as a result levels of lead in the air decreased by 94% between 1980 and 1999. EPA vehicle emission standards have led to some inventions in cars such as the catalytic convertor and direct fuel injection replacing old tech such as carburetors. Despite our successes many places in the United States still have poor local air quality and there is more to be don.eThe EPA is now attempting to help solve Climate change by making hybrids and EV’s which (we will discuss next paragraph)