Tonight's assignment is to post a comment (300+ words) on the blog in which you
informally but thoughtfully analyze the piece of rhetoric you chose to
bring to class last week.
I'm particularly interested in you exploring and explaining how choices made by the creator(s) (the essayist, reporter, poet, writer,
filmmaker, artist, musician) contribute to purpose.
The piece of rhetoric I chose to analyze was the song Whatever!, by the band Hot Chelle Rae. This song is pretty up beat, bringing in the audiences mood up. In the beginning it starts off with bad situations. After a while bad situations just seem to become expected. The expectance of moments of happiness crashing doesn’t necessarily bring the high expectation of a good day down. It brings in a different perspective. So things aren’t going your way TODAY, it doesn’t mean it is going to be the same tomorrow. You can go into a day thinking positive or negative, and that little decision affect your whole day. If something goes wrong it doesn’t mean the world is over. This is when the title and most of the lyrics come into play. Whatever! The attitude about the word ‘whatever’ isn’t bad in this case the song portrays it as. The band Hot Chelle Rae gives the eight-letter word a new meaning. When your day is just not going right as planned, just think. So what, whatever. Some people may think, “Wow that is a negative, sassy attitude.” The artist meant to come about in a way to give a message. The message was it is okay to get upset over something, but the little things come and go. You wake up late, but that is just one mistake. It won’t ruin your life forever. You can’t find enough money in your wallet to pay off a bill; it’s only ONE bill, things happen. Little things people get so worked up about, and in the long run it really is not worth it. The situations worked into this song compare with everyday life people go through and experience. The tone in the voices of the singers give a positive outlook on the situations. The fast beat indicated a happy carefree mood. This is something everyone should have. Being negative and down the entire time wont get you anywhere. Hot Chelle Rae wants to sing to the world and let them know, “It’s okay, whatever!”
ReplyDeleteI chose an effective political cartoon regarding Elizabeth Warren, who is currently running for senator against Scott Brown. The cartoon artist evidently indicated a touchy subject in today’s political issue between Elizabeth Warren and the public. She claims to have Native American heritage, however she does not have any legal documentation supporting her assertion. She had listed herself as a minority in legal directories, though has failed to prove her statement. The public believes she did it for voting purposes and is probably lying. Elizabeth Warren’s most suspicious statement was when she responded to one of a reporter’s questions, asking whether there was anything else to expect from her that the public has yet to know and she replied, “You know, I don’t think so, but who knows.” Senator Scott Brown has used this against her in his running campaigns, especially in commercials and believes this may have triggered a decrease in any of her potential votes.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, in the political cartoon the artist made an effective Elizabeth Warren portrayal looking down at a young girl standing by her mother. In the picture, Elizabeth Warren stretches out her arms as if to hug the young girl, while saying, “Oh, what a beautiful little girl! Blonde, blue-eyed, fair skin, she must be Native American too!” The artist’s intent was to mock Elizabeth Warren’s supposed statement. By having her stretch out her arms in the picture and drawing a puzzled and disturbed look in the young girl’s mother, successfully demonstrated the public’s reaction towards her statement. The specific word choices the artist decided to be in Elizabeth Warren’s portrayal sets the foundation of the entire picture and most particularly her claim. The words were intended to express Elizabeth Warren’s qualities and make fun of her stance as well. The artist intentionally places the statement in the center of the political cartoon in bold large letters so the message is clearly delivered to the audience.
How does Dave Matthews persuade the audience to believe you pay for what you get? This was the question I proposed for a song called You Pay for What You Get.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the title of the song is self explanatory to a certain point. To pay for what you get is clearly Matthews’ message and his purpose throughout the song is to stress this motto. He does so using repetition, suggestiveness of his own insanity (personal input?) and wordplay (sarcasm).
To elaborate on the repetition strategy would be where he repeats “I’m OK” and “Pay for What You Get” over and over. The fact that he continues to say he’s “OK” implies that he is not; that he is trying to convince himself of this. It is also implied in the song that his love is in an institution. Therefore, to back up my deduction that he’s not “OK”, it is mentioned in the song that his love is crazy and that has a huge impact on Matthews since she’s left. So, I believe she has been sent to a mental institution which has shaken Matthews’ with grief. It’s almost a form of irony because the message you pay for what you get contradicts Matthews’ loss which has given him a chronic infliction to repeat that he’s “OK” when he is actually depressed. (That’s a bit tangled, hope it makes sense…)
Anyway, “Has she really lost her mind? I said I couldn’t tell you, I’ve lost mine.” In short, this phrase makes it personal for the singer which is another example of a strategy that has a strong effect on the audience.
He engages the listener with sarcasm “surprise, surprise” and other forms of word play. The phrase “A bird in hand is much better than, any number free to wander.” This sort of translates into “something that won’t change is better than a value that could change at any time.” At the same time this phrase delivers his main point because even though you get the bird you must pay the price of never seeing it fly because it must stay in your hand if you want to keep it. The value of the bird if you let it go can be great for only a short time, since the value may wither as you realize the bird won’t come back. Of course this phrase can probably be taken a couple different ways but that’s how I first envisioned it. Chose your price to pay for what you get I guess.
Murder or Suicide, is the article I choose to analyze. How did the author manage to talk about the story as either a murder or a suicide, without picking a side. This is one of the most bizarre stories ever told. Although, the happening is mind boggling, the big question is, was this a murder or a suicide? The author does not answer this question; this makes the question even harder to answer. Throughout the article the author balances his stance, not making it clear what he thinks, and he does so by talking in third person. He is not directly stating his point but rather uses the story itself to imply the message.
ReplyDeleteRather than saying what he heard, he cites the autopsy, and records that actually exist. This is evidence to his story; evidence makes the reader trust the author and that what he is saying is true. “Further investigations turned up a witness that their son was seen…” The author is using investigations done and also witnesses, making his story more credible. He also uses vivid descriptions to get the reader to have an image on how it all happened, “As he passed through the ninth floor, on the way down, his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast through the window, killing him instantly”. The author also tries to talk about the fact that the event could have been a suicide or a homicide, equally; by talking about how Opus jumped off with the intent of ending his life and also talking about how Opus’s father had always threatened to kill his wife, always shooting at her with an unloaded gun. He is very good at switching back and forth between the two parts of the story.
In the end of the story, the author still is hiding what he believes of the story. Instead of saying what he thinks he states “The medical examiner closed the case as a suicide.” Stating what the examiner thought makes the reader want to think maybe I should agree, after all, the examiner is a specialist. This is the author guiding the reader towards an opinion but at the same time giving the reader a chance to make their own opinion on the story while considering the evidence he has given.
The piece of work that I chose to analyze was the song "If You Ever Come Back", by The Script. It appears to be about the hardships after a breakup of a girl and a boy, but I found that there was more to it. I personally think its about a more serious relationship then a girl and boy. I think it's about a parent losing their child. Their child has left home due to a broken relationship with their parent. The parent is pleeding for the child to return.
ReplyDeleteAs the chorus goes "I'll leave the door on the latch. ...... They'll be a light in the hall and the key under the mat. ..... They'll be a smile on my face and the kettle on. ..........", this verse is telling us that nothing had changed since the child had left. No matter how painful it is, they still wants her to come back, because it is more painful to have them gone.
Although this sentence "Now they say I'm wasting my time", tells us that people around the child maybe trying to pursuade them to let go of waiting for their beloved kid, however, he reacts by saying "But they used to say the world was flat. But how wrong was that now?" Using our spherical world as an analogy of the child's return, with their 'flat' world as the impossibilities of their return. This is what the parents believe in, how hopeful they felt.
As the last verse were being played, the words from his heart says that he will always forgive the child, as long as they return to his side just because he loves them too much to give them away.
Anita Sarkeesian, feminist media critic and owner of the website the Feminist Frequency, showed the hidden sexism in her two part video “Lego and Gender”. The video I chose was part two, the Boys Club, which focused on the history of gender roles in Lego marketing from the start of the company to present day. The main source of her argument came from Lego’s old and new ad campaigns, whether it be commercials or magazine ads. She started the video by outright stating her argument and presented different Lego ad campaigns throughout the rest of it. The three main arguments for the reason behind Lego’s limited success with young girls were as follows: marketing exclusively to boys, producing male identified and centered sets, and focusing on stereotypical boys play with an emphasis on competition and combat. Commercials from throughout the 1940-50’s and 1980’s are all shown, which Anita used to emphasis the change from children of both genders playing together to boys playing with other boys. She then mentions Zach, the Lego Maniac, who was at one point the official mascot of Lego. The beginning of the Zach ad campaign marked the sudden change from gender neutral to male orientated advertisement. The next campaign to be criticized was the “Build Together” campaign, which promoted the positive image of fathers and sons building and creating together, and just that. As Anita criticized there was a severe lack of mothers and sisters present in the campaign. By bringing this lack of female presence in the Lego advertisement, Anita then moves on to bring up the lack of female presence in the Lego sets themselves. To back this claim up Anita stated that the unique male to female minifig ratio was 18:1. This was mostly due to the movie franchise sets such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars, which were male centered movies. She solidifies this fact by mentioning that out of the over two hundred Star Wars minifigs, “you can count the number of women on your fingers”. She goes back to comparing older and new Lego commercials for her third point, the value of competition and combat, though she compares commercials from the 1980’s and today’s Lego’s commercials. Anita emphasized this by creating a short montage various phrases such as “loading the missiles”, “man the cannons”, and “transform to attack mode”. She ends the video by comparing the new female oriented Lego set called Friends to the other Lego toys. She then states that the way Lego and stating that the way Lego should attract more girls to their product would is by going back to creativity and building based Lego sets. By exploring these three flaws with Lego’s marketing system, she leads the way for her to discuss the direction Lego should be taking. As she puts it, Lego should return to being “the Lego of yesteryear” and end gender stereotyping their products, and in turn alienating girls from the Lego experience.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's refreshing to take a look at different mediums of creativity. “Old Father Old Artificer” was a wonderful combination of both visual and literary argument. For my individual selection, I chose a piece that was visual and auditory. The short film “Greed” is a great example of a rhetorical argument that is made using images instead of words.
ReplyDeleteIn the film, the viewers are shown a man who is consumed with greed. The film illustrates how this greed is a risky thing, and that money, and, indirectly, power is a very unstable thing. Using various visual representations, the film ultimately states that not only is Greed a materialistic feeling that is dangerous and should not be trusted, but also shows that these types of gluttonous people exist in our world, and may, in fact, be rather close to ourselves.
Director Alli Sadegiani does a wonderful job of illustrating how unstable a person's life can become if they pine over money and power. For the first few scenes of the film, the character discovers that when he touches a blemish on his face, money appears around him. Overjoyed with his new discovery, he rapidly taps the blemish, causing more and more money to appear. When the character sees himself in a mirror, though, he notices that all of his greed had created a second blemish on his face. Thinking that this second spot must be like the first, he touches this one as well, and all of the money disappears. Sadegiani is showing how fleeting the power of wealth can be. One day you are the richest and most powerful man in the world, and the next day all that money can be gone, or maybe isn't even worth anything anymore.
Panicking, the man rushes to re-tap his wealth back into being by touching the first blemish again. Soon his money is restored, but when he looks in the mirror again, he notices yet another blemish on his face. This blemish he considers a bit more carefully, considering the consequences of his last act of greed. However, the man can simply not resist the possibility of even more power, so he touches the third spot. When his finger alights on the spot, an all too familiar mustache appears on the man's face. This is the first clue that the director gives us that this film might not be based on fictional events. The man scrambles for a razor and hurriedly shaves the mustache, but it reappears only seconds later, along with a flop of hair atop his head.
Suddenly the viewer is faced with this very Hitler-esk character. Before them stands a man consumed by greed and a lust for power, and it's a bit scary when one is struck with the realization that these kind of monsters can and indeed do exist in real life. The disgusting and somewhat pathetic creature on screen is the man responsible for the deaths of thousands.
ReplyDeleteThe director did a wonderful job shocking the audience with this information. By not letting the viewers know that the character was meant to be impersonating Hitler until later in the film, the audience was able to develop a unbiased opinion of the man on screen. Just because one does not realize his historical significance does not make Hitler any less disgusting of a man, although it does shed some interesting light on the subject. A big question that always comes up in the discussions of good and evil is if a person can be intrinsically evil, or if it is experiences and situations that create the monsters some people become. This film does an excellent job of showing what Hitler would have been as a regular person. Let's say there was no holocaust, no death camps, no slums...does the man in this movie act so incredibly different than any of us would have? Is his greed so alien a desire?
Perhaps we would not have gone to the extremes of the character in this film, but would we not have all at least been a little tempted? Out of curiosity, if nothing else? And in this case, this film becomes more of a warning to the human race in general rather than the critique of an individual. Because after all, are we that terribly different from Hitler? This movie seems to suggest that maybe the gap is a bit narrower than we'd like to think it is. And that is where this movie turns from the purpose of entertainment to being informative.
After realizing that the only way to get rid of his new hairdo was to touch the second blemish, the man does exactly that. All the money along with the mustache, the hair, and the first and second blemishes disappear. The man is once again left with his first spot, and he sits there struggling with the decision of what to do. Part of him wants nothing more than for this whole ordeal to be over, but another side of him yearns for the power and wealth that he has now experienced. This decision becomes a physical struggle for the character as he tries to keep his hand from nearing the spot on his face. However, he eventually gives in, and as his finger makes contact, the screen goes black and all you hear is the man's scream. His greed has finally ended him. The film is trying to say that this is ultimately what happens to those who allow the lust for money and power to overcome them. By not letting the viewer actually see the fate of the man, but rather allowing their imagination to do its worst, the ending is made even more ominous. The great unknown is often scarier than any known horror, which is why this ending serves as a great warning to those who watch it, to be wary of desires, because if one misplaces their ambition, it could have disastrous results.
“Young Blood” by The Naked and Famous is a song that I chose to analyze and summarize. This group is an “Indie” group and is different from most popular music that I’ve heard recently. It is written like a poet would write a free verse poem. Some of it rhymes but not all of it does. The words express the feelings of being young, naïve and carefree. The song, although tells a sort of story also leaves an open end that the listeners can interpret in different ways. There is no direct message that the writer and musicians are trying to convey, which in my opinion makes it easier to listen and relate to.
ReplyDelete“We're only young and naive still
We require certain skill
The mood it changes like the wind
Hard to control when it begins
The bittersweet between my teeth
Trying to find the in-between
Fall back in love eventually”
The first verse is the strongest and should be, because it is where the listener or reader is introduced to the whole rest of the song. The lyrics are not like some of the repetitive, ineffective typical pop songs, which I like; they have meaning and don’t ramble on about pointless things. The theme and meaning are more diverse and complex than most of the “Top 40” songs that are out there right now. The tone seems almost playful but the music is emphatic. If the music was slower, or if some of the instruments were not incoorperated in the song the sound and tone would be completely different and change the way people think about it. If it was not so upbeat and diverse in sound, it may make the song more sullen and maybe even depressed.
I personally enjoy listening to music that has broad meanings, that anyone can decipher and figure out for themselves.
Olivia P.
ReplyDeleteThe rhetoric piece that I chose to analyze was an article, "Murder or Suicide" published without a specific author. It is a story of a man names Ronald Opus, who attempts to commit suicide but it shot by a bullet, mid flight. What Opus didn't know, was that the apartment building was undergoing construction, and there was a safety net just below the 8th floor, in case construction workers fell. Turns out the bullet was loaded into the gun of Ronald Opus' father's shotgun, and Ronald Opus was the one who put the bullet in it. So the real question is, was it a murder? Or a suicide?
I believe the author's main purpose, was to write a very neutral article questioning the audience of their opinion, and not take sides. The author, does a fantastic job at creating an article on a subject such as this, without being bias. The article is a basic description of the event, and the specific details that led to such a traumatic event. While the author shows both side of the story, it is also explained that Ronald Opus would not have died on that March day, he would've landed in the safety net. With all three stories, the author leaves it up to it's audience to decide which of the two forms of death they decide it was.
Another choice the author makes is to add in factual information to add on to the stories truthfulness. It helps the author remain on neutral grounds between the murder and suicide, but also supporting both sides at the same time, while providing more information. While the reader is reading and taking in the information, in their head they are able to determine which side they'll stand on. It is a rhetorical technique to engage the reader, and to keep them entertained throughout such a bazaar event.
Jordan W.
ReplyDeleteThe song was used for the opening credits in the 1975 cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". This song features different stories and plots from old-time horror and science fiction films. The idea in putting this together was based on a concept that Tristan Tzara created in her poems where she would take snippits of words and randomly place them on the page. Although the song is said to be random, I disagree, because the words can fit with the movie plot well. Something as simple as the line "And Flash Gordon was there in silver underwear" could easily been interpreted to fit the movie. Throughout the entire film Rocky Horror (a creation) is running around in his gold underwear. Maybe just the slight change in detail from the song was able to be translated to the song because everyone back then knew about Flash Gordon (I had to look him up, but in the time he was a big deal). Also in the chorus there is a mention of "Dr. X creating a creature" and the main point of the movie was centered around the fact that Frankenfurter created Rocky. He 'built a creature' just as the song states, not only that, but the chorus is usually the part of the song that suggests the main point. An obvious part that would make the reader see that this supposedly random song was actually not at all random was that they actually used two of the main characters names. The song says "see androids fighting Brad and Janet", the definition of an android is a robot with a human appearance, and although they the things fighting Brad and Janet weren't androids, but aliens, it sounds nicer and more sci-fi to say androids. I like that Richard O'Brien in writing the song tried to make it this totally random song, but in truth, I think that he just couldn't get his mind off of the underlying meanings behind his specific reference.
Oh, and my song was "Science Fiction/ Double Feature"
DeleteIn this excerpt from “Ten Days in a Madhouse” by Nellie Bly, the author explains her intentions on why she went into an insane asylum in the first place. She begins by saying that she had written an article in “The World” about her time in the asylum. She had gone in order to collect research about the conditions of asylums. While some people (I'm looking at you, Jordan!) might think that this goal is crazy in itself, I think that she proves herself to be a curious and determined reporter. After the article was posted, Bly explains in the introduction that she had gotten a wide response from people, asking for further detail. Right away, this catches readers' attentions. We know that other people were interested in Bly's story, and makes us feel that we might, too. In Chapter 1, Bly explains her own doubt in going to the asylum. She not only doubted herself and her ability to act the part of an insane person, but she also doubts the information that she will obtain. This makes Bly both relateable and trustworthy. Firstly, her doubt in herself makes readers connect to her and makes her seem more human and personable. She questions herself, then finishes off with a boost of confidence: “Could I pass a week in the insane ward at Blackwell's Island? I said I could and I would. And I did.” While her doubt made her relateable, her confidence, in contrast, made readers believe in her mission as much as she does. Also, her doubt in the information that she will collect also establishes ethos with readers. The fact that she doesn't believe that she'll find any incriminating information about the asylum proves that she's an objective reporter. We can trust that, no matter what, she won't be at all biased. In addition, Bly also subtly establishes herself as a kind person, by talking about how much she cares for “the most helpless of God's creatures, the insane,” and quoting her editor about her “chronic smile.” The fact that Bly seems to be a caring and friendly person makes her more trustworthy and likable as a narrator. All these aspects contribute to the whole of the memoir and establish readers trust with her.
ReplyDeleteI just want to say that I absolutely love the wonderful points that you bring up. Well done, fellow classmate!
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Jordan are you sucking up because you insult everyone on a daily basis??
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DeleteThere is a time and a place for gifs; and that, my friend, was it. Bravo. http://th1043.photobucket.com/albums/b436/ElectricDragon_2010/Funny/th_cryclapping.gif
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DeleteI chose a speech by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that was given on D-Day during World War II. This speech was a prayer that the President spoke to the whole country trying to give them home and explain that the United States troops were invading Normandy, France as he spoke. Roosevelt ignored the fact that Church and State are supposed to be kept separately to make his country feel better. He put the greater good of his country over what he was thought to be right. He wanted his people to feel at peace with the knowledge that they had asked God to help them and He would. Roosevelt’s prayer was spoken in Old English and uses many words that are common in the Bible, such as Thy and Thee, he made his listeners feel like what he was saying was what God wanted them to hear, and it helped made the citizens of the United States feel more comforted by the fact that their troops in Europe would be protected by God. The President not only prays for the soldiers that are fighting, but for the people that are home in the country, the people that are friends or family of soldiers or are home because of injuries that occurred during the war. This makes the people feel better because now not only do the soldiers have God’s help, but the people in the United States can trust in God and have faith that their loved ones would be safe in battle. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s prayer went against what law says, but it was for the greater good of his country, he wanted his people to feel at ease with the war going on knowing that they had prayed to God and asked him for their help over in Europe. The invasion of Normandy was a success, so for the people who had heard this speech, the President’s prayer was helpful in more than one way. Roosevelt helped the people in his country feel at ease and by proof of their victory he had also helped the soldiers.
ReplyDelete-HannahEllis
The song, “U.N.I.” by Ed Sheeran is the piece I chose to analyze. I originally chose this song because I love his music, the beat, and the lyrics. Though through further exploration of the lyrics, I saw more meaning than what is understood just by listening to the song once. The general meaning of this song is that Ed and his girlfriend broke up because she went to university and he went on tour to promote his music career. The title, “U.N.I.” refers to university and also sounds like 'you and I.' The chorus of this song is structured around these two phrases sounding very similar, “That's why you and I ended over U.N.I.” He plays with this and makes it sound melodic and follows the first chorus up with a rap where he truly begins to state what is happening. When listening to the song it is hard to keep up with all that he is saying, but from reading the lyrics it seems as if he doesn't want to break up with her although he feels that he needs to because he is unsure of what will happen in the future, “Everything's great, but not everything's sure/You live in your halls and I live in a tour bus.” It is sad, knowing that he truly cares for her so much, that it might just be less painful to let her go while they are both taking separate paths, rather than string her along into uncertainty, “And I'll know you'll say, that I'm the only one/But I know God made another one of me to love you better than I ever will.” Ed structures the song by starting with the making it known that he has just come out of a breakup and is in a way trying to forget about it by turning to alcohol, “Stumble and I fall with the head spin I got/My mind's with you, but my heart's just not.” He continues on with the song, revealing more detail with every line. I think he structures the song this way to make it seem final, to reassure him and everyone else that it is over, and he uses the rest of the lyrics to convince himself of his own decision.
ReplyDeleteLast week in class I brought in an article from a magazine as an option for rhetorical analysis. The article is about a high school student attending boarding school who decides to go on a hiking adventure in the woods. She was in science programs that encouraged her to explore the forest. Without much thinking the girl, India, left her cell phone and all other useful things in her room and headed for the trails. She just wanted to get away from being with people. Being at boarding school you’re not alone much which seemed to be something India longed for. When India left she was wearing minimal clothing for the weather. While hiking she ended up getting lost and had to survive twenty four hours on her own; cold, scared, and confused. Eventually she wandered the right way and was found by a search crew that was looking for her. Now India plans ahead when going into the woods, and always brings a phone and map along with her. The perspective that this story was written in was India’s perspective. It really gave the reader a sense of what she was feeling while she was struggling to survive in the forest. Also the point she was trying to make, that you should always be prepared when hiking in the woods, was made stronger because she could personally explain what might happen if you don’t. If this was written from any other perspective the overall rhetorical effectiveness would not be the same.
ReplyDeleteEdgar Allen Poe’s poem incites the gloom and depressing thoughts that ring through his brain. He successfully creates the cliché horror movie within 5 pages of poetry. Addition details such as “midnight dreary” and how every rustling of his curtains filled him with, “fantastic terrors never felt before” complete the frightening mood that fills the pages. Poe also relates to the average person of today with his self-assurance that whatever is tapping at his window is only the wind. That scratching on your window? Must be the wind blowing a branch against your window, it wouldn’t happen to be a traditional hare-bringer of death like a raven. But that’s exactly what happens in Poe’s dramatic poem. It was meant to draw the reader, especially those of his time period, into his dark mindset and the depression that loomed over him. He also mentions “the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore”. Is this a woman he loved lost to death or maybe to another man? Whatever end he considered for her, he obviously admires her for her beauty and is sorrowful for her loss. The raven that enters his bedroom window is representative of his sorrow. He questions it unceasingly when he knows the answer, “Nevermore”. The speaker mentions in his internal dialogue when he first speaks to the raven that its response was most likely picked up from some long lost master. With this in mind, he barrages the raven with unanswerable questions. The raven is obviously going to reply with his go to answer, “Nevermore”. In fact, the poem is famous for the ravens response. “Quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore’” is one of the well-known phrases of Poe’s’ works. Finally the speaker snaps under his sorrow and demands an answer of the raven that he would like to hear, not one he knows he’ll hear. The words he uses to describe his anger and upheaval are strong and vibrant like, “shriek” and “cried”. The poem concludes with the speaker stating that the raven still sits above his chamber door, possibly representing the ever-present anger and loss he feels for Lenore dying.
ReplyDeleteBethany G.
ReplyDeleteI chose to analyze the lyrics to Ed Sheeran’s song, “The City”. The music itself is upbeat and has an almost cheerful rhythm. The lyrics seem contradict the beat of the song. Throughout the entire piece, it hints that the narrator of the song, who could be Ed Sheeran, is trying to defy someone at home. The lyrics, “don’t control what I’m into…” suggests that he was being told what to do, and now that he’s away, he has the freedom to do what he pleases. Also, the lyrics in the chorus, “what I do isn’t up to you…” hint this, as well.
The song is full of contradictions. One the one hand, he’s happy to be away from home, he has his independence and isn’t being controlled anymore. But, there are some phrases that may suggest otherwise. For example, “London calls me a stranger…” and “This is not what I’m used to…” propose that he doesn’t like it in the city; he’d rather be back at home, which would probably be the countryside.
Another example of opposing forces is in the second verse.
“The pavement is my friend
Hey, and it will take me where I need to go
I find it trips me up
And puts me down
This is not what I’m used to
The shop across the road
Fulfills my needs and gives me company
When I need it
Voices speak through my walls
I don’t think I’m gonna make it
Past tomorrow”
He talks about how he doesn’t think he’ll make it, even though there are places and things that comfort him. I think at the same time he’s upset, he’s trying to find things that will take place of what’s missing. It seems that every other line is opposing the one before it. The main strategy he uses is weighing two different options. Defying someone, and just wanting to be home. The lyrics make the listener/reader feel the confusion the writer is feeling.
The Tyger is a poem that describes what a tiger. By describing the tiger the author (William Blake), who most likely has never seen a tiger before, he talks about God and asks questions about him. He described the tiger as "burning bright", such as fire which in religion is mostly an evil force, such as the devil, he says in the next stanza "who dares seize the fire" asking who would dare face the devil and take his fire. He asks what immortal could create the tiger because it was evil in the speakers eyes in the first stanza. In the third stanza he asks what creature or thing could take art and twist it into something horrible. It said that a tiger was horrible because of the way it hunted and shoulders twisted in the cat like motion as it walked. In the fourth paragraph the speaker stated that description of a blacksmith a person that creates. He used those descriptions to ask the speakers what crafted the tiger that if it was evil why was it made. If the tiger was evil then how was it made by the same thing that made the lamb a creature depicted as good. That was what Blake asked. He was trying to point out that God was not purely good or purely evil. He was trying to state that God did not discriminate about what was good or bad just that he created these creatures. He was asking his audience to think about why would God make something evil if God was all bountiful and loving as most religions show God as. This was to have people understand that God had created this animal because there must be a balance and that there must be something good in everything and something bad in everything including people.
ReplyDeleteIn The Gawker, I read multiple short articles that satirize Mitt Romney. The first one I read was a satirization of a comment that Mitt Romney made on airplanes; he said that airplane windows should be able to roll down (if that were the case, the pressure would probably kill everyone, obviously). Caity Weaver, the author, starts off by calling him an “affluent imagineer.” She’s praising him, but in a sarcastic way; you can tell from the context and tone. Then she says that he has “‘exciting’ new proposals” for the future of airplane design; like stated before, you’d probably pass out from the pressure if windows in airplanes were allowed, so it would be almost impossible for that to happen which is why she’s mocking him. This is also a satirization of Romney because supposedly he said this as a joke and she’s taking it out of context; exaggerating it. Which is what satire is partly, exaggeration While it still is an all around dumb comment and an unfunny joke (that is, if he didn’t lie and just use that as a cover-up), she obviously opposes him and is using the comment against him. Weaver also links another one of her articles previously written about Romney. In the other article she showed that he was an idiot by pointing out the fact that when asked a question, Romney dodged it by pointing at the clouds in the sky and mentioning how pretty they were. She finishes the article after explaining what air pressure can do when there are no windows in the airplane, by stating “who knew the Kingdom of Clouds could be such a frightening place?;” the kingdom of clouds an obvious reference to Romney’s comment on the sky. Not to mention, in the Kingdom of Clouds article she also embedded a picture of the grandfather from The Simpsons. In the picture, there is a newspaper article with the grandfather with the headline “Old Man Yells At Cloud.” This is an obvious comparison of Romney to the grandfather; who is depicted as a few quarters short of a dollar in the show.
ReplyDeleteZach S.
ReplyDelete“The Cremation of Sam McGee” is a poem that tells the tale of adventure in the Yukon. The poem itself holds sentimental value to me as my boss (who I look up to like an older brother and role model) reads this in a very captivating and powerful manner. I loved this rendition so much that I picked it to look deeply into it and understand.
Service, the poet, uses choice of words to accentuate the tempo and mood of the poem. The beginning starts slow and mysterious to convey a dark and eerie feel to begin the monologue. References to the “midnight sun” and that the “Arctic trails have their secret tales” empower the shadowy beginnings of the story. From there the story lightens- “Now Sam McGee was from Tenessee where the cotton blooms and blows”- reflecting on the humble nature of Sam and putting the listeners into a calm mood. The story begins to go back to dark when explaining the cold of the North- “Talk of your cold! through the parka’s fold it stabbed like a driven nail.” And even darker, retelling the power of the cold exacted upon Sam “He crouched in the sleigh, and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee.” Even past death does the story get darker as the speaker tells of the ominous feel while he tries to fill “A pal’s last need”: “Oh God! How I loathed the thing.” A slight glow: “And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar; And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: ‘Please close that door. It’s fine in here, but I greatly fear you’ll let in the cold and storm.” Ending the confused reader (as in the superficial sense who can understand a man coming back from the dead?) with another dark turn, repeating the beginning stanza.
The returning of Sam McGee from the dead has always confused me. Using skills I have gained through my many rhetorical analyses I believe this to be a figurative statement that can be used to reflect on the joy brought by completing the dead man’s last wish. This theory resolves the confusion I have always had when I hear this amazing poem of mystique.
I choose to analyze the letter that the Rosenburgs sent to their two boys (they were 6 and 10 at the time) on the day of their execution,
ReplyDeleteThe main purpose of this letter is for the Rosenbergs to say their last words to their two young boys, they are also trying to get the point that you must learn from your mistakes as you grow across to the children. This lesson is directly referred to by the Rosenburgs when they state “the rest of your own lives must teach you, even as mine taught me.” In this quote Julie Rosenburg seems to be trying to say that not only should they learn from their lives but also if need be to the extent of her own punishment which is death. I find this statement rather unusual as most people would say to their children ‘learns from my mistakes so you don’t have to experience them yourself’ but she seems to be saying the exact opposite. Julie Rosenburg wants her kids to experience the hardships of life and that some mistakes have grave consequences such as death, why would a mother push this idea upon her children? And at such a young age it seems near absurd. A second point that The Rosenburgs touch upon in their final letter is that their children know that they were/are innocent and that they will die happy and calm knowing this. How do they know that their children understand that they are not criminals and did not commit treason? Do they even know what all this means? The letter seems almost to complex for the understanding of two young boys, was it meant to be read later on in their lives? Or by their caregiver?
While keeping up with the current elections I saw a video starring Mitt Romney, advertising himself for the 2012 presidency. In this video Romney obviously wants to make Obama look like a bad choice for our country, and make himself look like the better choice.
ReplyDeleteTo do so Romney starts off by telling his audience that he is a real citizen like them. He tried to seem down to earth and understanding of our countries problems. One way he was sounding understanding was when he said "Last week in Nevada I walked through a neighborhood with homes vacant, or in foreclosure unemployment there is over 13%".He showed his audience he understands the problems people face, and that they are aware to him. He also seemed down to earth at this part by saying "I walked though" not he heard of, or saw photos, but that he got to experience it up close and personal, which could be a lot more meaningful to an audience.
Another strategy Romney uses in his video was to make himself seem like a hard worker by saying "He (Obama) and virtually all the people around him have never worked in the real economy, they just don't know how jobs are created in the private sector, that's how I spent my whole career." At this part of the video Romney makes himself sound like a better candidate because he tells the audience of the experience he possesses, and also the experience that his competition do not. The speaker sounds like a much harder worker because of his back round that he throws into his video, to talk himself up.Romney goes deeper, and more in depth in his experiences in economics. Romney also uses a lot of words that our country is worried about, like economy, working, and workers. Our country is worried about these things but Romney explains how he enhanced the economy, jobs, and workers in his own career/business, and he puts a positive tone on them, that he apparently wants to let our country have too.
"I am also convinced that with able leadership, America's best days are still ahead" when Romney said this it stood out to me. The speaker is convincing at this part because he refers to himself as the able leader, who can restore our country. "America's best days are still ahead" was also a very powerful thing of Romney to say, because he wants the best for our country, and it is obvious at this part of his video. He makes a big commitment here, and it brings the audience to wonder if he really can do this for our country. At the end of his video he announces his faith in his country, and how amazing he thinks America is, and restores the curiosity the audience might have had by the big commitment he set himself to.
Overall all of the strategies Romney used: being understanding, throwing his working back round into the video, and already making commitments, were very effective to his purpose to gain presidency in the 2012 election.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxMc5Hq98Yo
Emily M.
Cara O.
ReplyDeleteI chose an article about the presidential election of 2012. The author speaks as himself and believes strongly in reelecting President Obama. He states twelve reasons why he is voting for Obama, and uses these reasons to try and persuade the reader to vote too. The author is a professor of education at Langston University. To most people, he appears to be a well-educated man. People are more likely to believe what an intelligent person tells them because they’re, well, intelligent. The author speaks as himself, and starts the article off by saying that he is a liberal, and American, and a black man. Stating his political views may turn some readers down while others may become more interested. A fellow liberal would read the article and probably agree, but someone who is not liberal might read the article just to see the election from the other side. The way the author speaks to the reader is somewhat informal, but familiar. He manages to retain advanced vocabulary while writing in a style that is tolerable to most. By talking in this familiar tone, he is able to reach a wider audience and maintain his friendliness. Sometimes an overly formal tone can be repulsive because it characterizes the author as stuck up or boring. This author sounds like someone you could meet in a coffee shop that happens to have an interest in politics. He does not pressure the reader to vote for Obama, but he suggests it indirectly. One thing that stood out was how he acknowledged Obama’s flaws as well as his strong points. After stating that “he has committed his share of blunders and tripped over his own words from time to time,” he reminds the reader that “there isn’t a president in American history who didn’t flub up big time at some point.” When listing the twelve reasons of why he supports the reelection, the author starts each off with “He.” By doing this, the author directs the attention of the reader to the source of each detail, President Obama. By reinforcing the fact that Obama is behind the support for education, peace, women’s rights, etc., the reader is more likely to vote for him if they believe in such things. The author ends the article with, “here’s one more: he’s not Mitt Romney!” After reading all the good things Obama has done, the reader automatically things that Romney will do the exact opposite. If that is not appealing to them, they probably won’t vote for Romney. The identity of the speaker, tone, repetition, and conclusion of this article all help persuade the reader to reelect President Obama.
James K
ReplyDeleteMy piece of work was “Don’t Stop Believing” by the band Journey. The song is one of there best and most success full works. They wrote the song to send a message of everlasting endurance and ironically this was there most enduring song standing the test of time.
To me this song is saying that you should not stop believing in any good cause. Some specific examples would be; love, one another, and (most importantly) your self. As Steve Perry (one of the songwriters/band members) said that this song was designed to instill faith into those that heard it and it is safe to say that even after thirty years that this meaning still rains through “believe it”.
Trying not to be narrow-minded it is important to note the suggestive subthemes that are so common in this song. This song being such a broad “canvas” to work with ultimately causes the listeners to come up with different opinions about the song. The branching out could even go to as far as one listener coming up with multiple interpretations of it as I did.
It is subtly suggested multiple times in the song that belief is not the only point you should factor. It is important to take into note that the song is talking about a boy and girl sharing a night and taking a risk (“rolling the dice”). In other words the song is at least to some level about a one-night stand. The writers know what they are doing and buried this content in it.
In nut shell this song is about standing up for what you believe and “working hard to get your (sensual) fill.”
I chose to rhetorically analyze the video “Thoughts from Places: Los Angeles after the Earthquake.” In this video blog, author John Green visits his friend in Los Angeles on the same day Japan was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami. He uses some interesting strategies to connect to the viewer and convey his thoughts. He weaves humor into the story to keep the viewer engaged. The word choices he makes when describing how lost he is on the way to Ransom’s house and the turtle pond are too formal compared to the rest of his sentences, which creates humor.
ReplyDeleteOne of John Green’s main points in the video is that life goes on. He would repeatedly mention hearing about the tragedy in Japan, and then change the subject and focus on his day in Los Angeles. He and Ransom commented on how “weird it was to stroll these sun-drenched canals on such a tragic day,” and then John Green remarked that “all human life is lived within close proximity to tragedy.” I think that the viewer is supposed to leave with the understanding that we can’t prevent bad things from happening, and we just have to accept the occurrences around us and find ways to rebuild from there.
The mentioning of Ransom’s photograph collection at first seems like it’s only a part of John Green’s day. He explained that these pictures contain stories, especially when you flip them over. For example, one photograph showed an ordinary rock wall, but on the back, someone had written, “Rock wall near Rose Bowl Pasadena California where Dorothy found a baby girl on January 24th 1961.” Later, he pointed out that water was everywhere that day, and it was a reminder of the tsunami in Japan. He said that he wished there were a way for him to completely understand what the people of Japan were going through, and also what happened to Dorothy and the baby she found, and for them to know that he was thinking of them. He then said, “But images can travel in a way that our thoughts cannot. And that night I felt sad and frustrated that technology can never quite bridge the oceans between us.” We can see glimpses of others’ lives, like photographs and news reports, but we will never really know what it’s like to live them. I believe that John Green was trying to say that although we can’t fully connect with people who are going through hardships, we need to at least try to help in any way we can. He ended the video by saying he had posted a link to a disaster relief fund. He didn’t ask people to donate; he merely said it was there. Hopefully, the video was powerful enough to persuade the viewers to help.
Last week I chose to bring in the song “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin to rhetorically analyze in class. In my opinion the purpose of “stairway to heaven” is to persuade the listener that you can’t take things at face value and that there is no easy way out in life, Led Zeppelin use many different rhetorical techniques throughout the song to convey this message. The song has a slow building almost mythic tone that really draws the listener in over the course of the song and appeals to them emotionally. Led zeppelin use a mix of direct and indirect references to the purpose of the song. One example of reference is in the lines
ReplyDelete“There’s a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
‘cause you know sometimes words have two meanings”
It’s plainly stated that things can have two meanings and indirectly that things can’t be taken at face value. Another technique used in the song is metaphors like “buying a stairway to heaven” this is used in the song as a metaphor for the easy road in life and later uses the metaphor “your stairway lies on the on the whispering wind” that is used to say that the stairway to heaven isn’t real it’s a dream that is always beyond reach. Collectively these metaphors relay the purpose of the song that there is no easy way out in life and appeal to the listener emotionally and logically. Verse structuring is another tool used by the artists to contribute to the overall purpose of the song, the verses of “stairway to heaven” are very segmented and rhythmic it gives the song it’s very poetic and deep tone that engages the listener and makes them want to keep listening, in short the structure makes the song sound good and makes the relaying of the purpose much more fluid. All these methods add to the overall effect of “stairway to heaven” and are key reasons why it is considered one of the greatest songs of all time.
I had chosen a humor piece by a blogger named Allie who wrote a piece on the time her, her boyfriend, and her two dogs moved to a new house in a new state. She writes really only to entertain (or engage) the reader into caring about her “simple” and “helper” dogs, and how traumatic it was to move. She uses extensive vocabulary and visual depictions drawn on MS Paint to better get the point across. The drawings are surprisingly well done, over exaggerated, and silly, and in them she shows Simple Dog’s thoughts are just triangles and happy faces. Instead of just outright saying “My dog is an idiot”, she’ll just draw the dog with a blank look in its eyes, its head cocked at an impossible degree, and thinking that a triangle is a possible solution to the problem. The title of the blog, Hyperbole and a Half, is a perfect explanation for her narratives. She exaggerates in the story as well as the drawings, and uses impossibly ridiculous but somehow relatable similes to make the reader chuckle. Her first statement is even “Packing all of your belongings into a U-Haul and then transporting them across several states is nearly as stressful and futile as trying to run away from lava in swim fins.” Who thinks of this stuff? Something as ridiculous could only come from a blog called Hyperbole and a Half. She uses her own unique style of writing to fully engage the reader. It really is like nothing you’ve seen before, and it keeps you wanting to come back and keep reading more of her stories. Allie knows how to use words, similes, and hyperbole to her advantage, and somehow craft what might have just been a normal story about how dumb her dogs were when they moved into something all her own.
ReplyDelete(I hope this all made sense)
All right, I know it’s late and it’s been a long day for all, on top of that we’ve discussed it in class too thoroughly but bear with me. Before we start, let me just say I was planning to do some sort of chick flick for my annotation adventures but the teacher did not reply to my email so here we go.
ReplyDeleteA recurring theme thing is the use of illusions. One second you think he’s doing something, and the next you are slapped in the face with the realization that this was not so at all. For example, the first scene where the plane is flying overhead and it zooms back and there’s the fan lady fanning away. Another step back and we discover we were merely looking at a reflection in his sunglasses. Expand the personal bubble and we discover further he is on a beach. But wait-where’d that fan lady go? No way. We aren’t on a tropical resort but some kiddie playground.
I also noticed how so many numbers pop up randomly. I am willing to bet this is a metaphor for the passing of time, and how people unknowingly try acting all G-Style their whole life. As for those people, they are about as cool as some dancer-wannabe in a shiny yellow suit.
One last thing I’d like to touch on is the relationship between visual and auditory components of the music video- that is, the video as the video and the lyrics that create sound. If one were to try imagining the video from the lyrics one’d end up with an image of a guy fishing for Sexy Ladies. But we were once deceived by the sheer randomness of the video and now we see it again in the counterintuitive inconsistencies of these components. Let’s put that under pop-satire, because it seems to me it’s saying music videos don’t need all that fad to be good.
Obviously it's Gangnam Style...?
DeleteShakespeare’s plays are considered some of the best works of all time, and one large contribution to this fact is the word play that Shakespeare utilizes, as well as word analogies. In “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”, Shakespeare uses Hermia’s dream to influence the way we think of love and its monumental amount of power. In the passage I picked out from the play; Lysander, in love with Hermia, was just unknowingly given a love potion that consequently turned his heart to thoughts of love for Helena. While this is happening, Hermia has a terrifying nightmare that Lysander cruelly laughed as a serpent ate her heart. In accordance with the plot of the play, it was not necessary for Shakespeare write of Hermia’s dream. However, it was necessary to his purpose that he did. In many of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets, he hints at or speaks of love and of its consequences as well as the power that it holds over us mortals. These are questions that have been and will forever be discussed. Hermia’s dream added still more strengthening to the idea of love’s importance. Her dream symbolizes that love is stronger than a mere potion, a small snap of the finger, and is more connected than simply world to world. Love is a mental superpower held by every person on the planet (whether they exercise this power or not is another, more melancholy discussion). Love does not and cannot simply go away, and when something interrupts your peaceful love, you can sense it. With true love, according to Shakespeare, you will be connected with the one you love in ways otherworldly. Hermia’s heart could feel Lysander’s love for her being unnaturally twisted. “Methought a serpent eat my heart away, and you sat smiling at his cruel pray.” Shakespeare uses this picture to indirectly suggest that when Lysander fell in love with Helena, Hermia’s heart, ever connected with Lysander’s, could feel her love being ripped and taken away from her heart. The potion is represented as a serpent that ate away her heart, and gnawed away at Hermia’s happy heart, stealing the peaceful and joyful love that is nestled in Hermia’s heart. And while Hermia’s heart was being tortured by the pain of losing a love, Lysander was enjoying the change. He was not hit with the normal love-loss feeling; essentially, he still had love. He still had love for Hermia. However, the potion given to him masked his love for Hermia by covering it with a fake love for Helena. Maybe inner Lysander never stopped smiling at inner Hermia. Or maybe, he was smiling because he was happy smiling at another.
ReplyDeleteLove is not just a feeling felt when you are around someone close to you, you feel it at all hours of the day and night. You feel it in the astrological world as well as the earthly world. It affects the way you think and feel. When love gets obstructed, you heart feels it. You pain over the loss. Nobody knows why or how love happens, but Shakespeare has said the most that we can probably say about it; it is stronger than anything else and runs deeper than anyone can comprehend, and is not easily broken. Lysander’s love for Hermia was never broken, but obstructed. And the moment of obstruction, Hermia’s heart felt it. “For better or for worse.”