Economists are not always those who attend college and major in economics. Sometimes, they are average people who have learned how to use their knowledge of how the world works to make the best of it. In Tyler Cowen’s Discover Your Inner Economist he tells us how to possess knowledge and logic about the economy that we can use in our daily lives. This book cover a wide variety of chapter topics that range from whether or not to pay children for chores to how to survive torture. I found this book to be enjoyable because Cowen often uses applicable examples, interesting stories, unknown facts, and the occasional bit of humor to get his point across. What is refreshing about Tyler Cowen is that in many instances he is not afraid to be blunt …show more content…
That will show the people upstairs that I am top management material.’ But no, instead conformity rules.”(p. 111) Cowen makes a point of dictating when it is applicable to use his advice, and when it is not. Often the key to a good writer is being able to connect with their audience by placing themselves on the same level as their readers. This connection can help the author find applicable stories that their readers can sympathize with or will amuse them. Whether the author uses real stories or fictional ones they can often be the key for taking a topic from dull to interesting for the average person. “I offer three parables to help those on a quest to discover their Inner Economist: the Dirty Dishes Parable, the Car Salesman Parable, and the Parking Tickets Parable. These ever-so-slightly tragic tales illustrate guidelines for applying penalties and rewards.(p 13)”
This is an example of using applicable stories that a reader can relate to in order to get them to identify with the author and their point of view. Using examples about parking tickets and which diplomat acquires them may be somewhat far fetched in being applicable to most people’s lives, but the story is interesting enough to help the point it is trying to explain stick. Many people enjoy learning, just not when they are forced to. School is often seen a
Author Wheelan writes, "Life is about trade-offs, and so is economics." Indeed, so is Naked Economics. This book promises to be a good introduction to economics for the layman. Throughout the book, the author uses easy-to-understand language and vivid examples to illustrate his points in strategic places maintaining a sense of lightness with the readers in reading the material. Here is a summary of each of the 12 Chapters of the book Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science by Charles Wheelan.
When I first looked into finding this book I didn’t think much of it as I just thought it was just another type of text book or some sort. I was thinking that this would be some kind of auto biography or something I would not be interested in. In fact after reading this book I was stunned by the different views and aspects of economics that was explain and I would had never thought about them in that sort of way. This book covers a lot about we discussed in class. This book explains different examples of economic concepts that may be used in our daily lives. They
They explained that: “Changes in incentives influence human behavior in predictable ways”. The main point of this concept is that the more attractive an option is the more likely an individual to choose it. Another point that they also focused on was the fact that if a particular product more costly, the more unappealing it will become to the consumer. They used examples such as employees will worker harder if they feel that they will be greatly rewarded or a student will study material that they feel will be on an
Time and time again I've found myself declaring education as the central pillar of my growth and development, that of which has been consistent throughout my life and educational career. From the age of 8 I've attributed school and learning as a way to escape the outside world, both willingly, and as an involuntary coping mechanism; school was a refuge, a safe place where I could build healthy relationships and escape my worries. I felt valued by my teachers, and I was given opportunities to contribute to a community, and for the first time felt autonomous- and that I could control my future.
An average person spends about 9% of his or her life in school. That’s roughly 14,000 hours in school from the time you enter kindergarten, until the time you graduate high school. Growing up we almost always swear that going to school is the worst possible thing our parents could ever make us do. We thought of it as a punishment rather than a privilege. I had these same emotions majority of my school career, until I met the one teacher who made me excited to come to school every day.
In the United States, we encounter quite a bit of obstacles that we can’t seem to get rid of completely. We as a nation deal with inflation, unemployment, stagflation, recessions, depressions, and so much more. Reading these three articles opened my eyes to the world of economics, and even made me question the society we live in. I’ve learned that sometimes questions can’t be answered, and I learned that once we solve one issue, there is always another issue on its way. These articles made me analyze, and think about the future of economics, and what I can do to try and help the economy. These authors of these three articles make it very clear that there are issues in the United States, and they do an amazing job
Education and school. Some of you are now grimacing at the prospect of being trapped inside a classroom. Others are now thinking what I wouldn’t do to be able to go back and start all over again. Now don’t worry, I’m not going to convince you that you should love school. My job isn’t to change your perspective on school like a politician would do.
A great American mathematician, John W. Tukey, once said “The greatest value of a picture is when it forces us to notice what we never expected to see.” This quote relates to stories because the author can use figurative language and descriptive language to paint a picture in the reader’s head. By using these, the author can almost assure the reader that they have the same vision as the author has. In the novel The Pigman by Paul Zindel, many examples of figurative language and descriptive adjectives are present to help the reader envision the story in their minds and to develop characters.
Another wonderful example of a story that is worth telling is The Great Gatsby. This story is about how Nick Carroway, an average man with no problems of his own, is indirectly involved in many intertwined relationships. He is either neighbors with or related to the people in these complicated relationships, so he is put right in the center of all of the drama. For example, Nick’s neighbor is having an affair with Nick’s cousin whose husband is having an affair with another woman. Nick’s narration reveals the complexity of relationships and how they are not as simple as they appear.
Students are usually forced to go to school every day, otherwise there are consequences. I was one of those students until I found things worth going for. Learning things that I like makes me eager to pursue knowledge. This is the discourse community I am a part of, and it took me seven years to figure this out.
The world is a massive place full of endless literature, beginning from ancient scrolls to daily news articles, filled with many secrets, perspectives and surroundings that help connect literature to an individual’s daily life. Some writers use the skills of literary elements to express and discuss an event that has happened to them or what has happened to others. This helps others to comprehend the perspectives of the author’s understanding toward an incident that one might experience. For instance in Flannery O’Connor’s short story, she uses many literary elements to express her views over most of her stories. O’Connor expresses her views in her short story, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by using the literary elements of point of view, irony, and setting.
Most stories are not just stories written to entertain the reader. Intentional or not, writers are often commentating on the world around them. Social commentary is interwoven in the fabric of novels, and it is often up to the reader to determine what they take away from any given work. Although written for entertainment’s sake, stories usually include the social or political views of the author and serve as a platform for their views to be made known.
Stories based or inspired by true events can be challenging to write. They are personal to the writer, but they may not have the same emotional impact on the mainstream audience. The trick is to find a relatable hook that draws the audience in. The story
Henry Hazlitt’s book, Economics in one lesson, brings to perspective numerous topics that are mainstream issues in the economy today. His book breaks down in detail specific concepts that have their effects on the economy. Hazlitt explains topics such as war and the expenses, the tariff system, and productivity and the minimum wage laws.
Students may not like going to school but, it is for the best. By going to school students can get an education and get a job or go to college and