FREE ESSAY ON ANALYSIS PAPER

ANALYSIS PAPER

Chad M. Kowal
ENG 101
11/28/99
Mr. Vlajcic
Simon Frith, author of John Keats versus Bob Dylan Why Judgments Matter, gives many
examples of why value judgments are important in our lives. I feel that value judgments
are as equally important and it should be evident why after briefly explaining Frith's
examples and my own as well.
In his first example, Mr. Frith gives insight to David Hare's comment, "In the end, Keats
was just better than Bob Dylan". The media, without delay, misjudged the true meaning of
Hare's statement and transposed it into a debate of value. Although Mr. Frith did not
agree with the media's tactics, he did agree with the 'value' debate. Mr. Frith Feels
that value judgments "organize social relations" in our life, and he further proves this
point using an example from popular music. 
Mr. Frith focuses on views in music studies. Judgments about musicians are generally made
in two ways. Firstly, is the elevation of excitement with 'community'(joining of
performers and their audience). Secondly, aesthetic and ethical sub-tones during
community. This value placed upon the musicians is very important, this is possibly the
deciding factor in the performer's career. If more fans come to a concert, then the
performer becomes more popular or valuable. The same goes for the messages sent out by
the performer during a performance. A message that is widely accepted and adorned will
attract more fans. 
I find that the critical analysis of value judgments in our lives is of equal importance.
I agree with Mr. Frith's findings and find them to be true in other life settings as
well. As individuals we use value judgments to prioritize important characteristics in
our life, which shape us into cultural individuals. We place a high judgment on the
social aspect of our culture. Some examples of this include; friendships, personal
appearances, and material items. In friendships, we place value judgment on moral
attributes set by others. It is these attributes that we judge to be worthy or unworthy
of our friendship. Those of similar moral values tend to find each other in
companionship. In personal appearances, we place value on what we represent ourselves to
be. Higher income families tend to pay more attention to this value for it is a language
in which is unspoken. Financial value of one's appearance and the personal value (self
esteem) of one's self tend to run parallel. People place different values on the material
items they posses. Two families may bring the same income into a household, and posses
some of the similar materials. However, it is the value they place on their material
items that make them different. It is this difference that brings out the subjective
individuality.
"Evaluation is a key cultural activity", according to Frith. Without evaluation we would
not be able to set some separation between each other as individuals, eventually becoming
numb to culture as we know it. I feel it is imperative that we evaluate every aspect of
our lives, in turn ensuring the greatest personal happiness. How does one attain a
favorite? Not by suggestion of a higher authority, but by evaluation. Putting value on
things and making value judgments is what enables us to label what we like and what makes
us happy. Without it, we would not be happy.