The heart and knives were very memorable. The image of just his heart pounding had an intense feeling attached to it, but then a circle of knives started to surround the heart with a stabbing sensation. It showed his personal pain and gave a way for the viewer to connect to the piece. So what if it's cliche.
The baby clowns in the mirror are burning in my eyes. Clowns automatically scare me so to have the author's head replaced with many different miserable clowns, baby clowns as a matter of fact, in a mirror, scares me to death and will probably haunt my dreams.
The fingers doing jumping jacks was a great visual accompaniment to White talking about actual jumping jacks. The metaphor of the hands doing laborious physical activity fits perfectly with describing writing. Whether you're actually writing with a pen and paper or typing, your fingers are doing all the work.
what's the difference between Chel White and billy collins presentations on what writing is like
Chel White has a more negative view of writing that will lead to positive outcomes. White is not afraid to go into the dirty details of the writing process and how it affects him.
http://www.lumeneclipse.com/gallery/14/white/
Monday, February 28, 2011
A sentence starts out like...
a seed on the ground, but not one that has been carefully planted. Instead. one that has been blown to the ground by the wind and just hopes to be picked up by the Earth's arms and formed into a full blown flower. It has no control of where it will end up but wants to be meaningful and beautiful. If the seed becomes a planted idea and continues to grow, it may need to overcome storms and squirrels who try to stop its development. Turning into a flower will be the seeds end of the journey until another seed from the flower falls off and starts its own journey to be significant.
sentence = traveler
you can't see where you're going
order in which the meaning is presented. syntax
a seed on the ground, but not one that has been carefully planted. Instead. one that has been blown to the ground by the wind and just hopes to be picked up by the Earth's arms and formed into a full blown flower. It has no control of where it will end up but wants to be meaningful and beautiful. If the seed becomes a planted idea and continues to grow, it may need to overcome storms and squirrels who try to stop its development. Turning into a flower will be the seeds end of the journey until another seed from the flower falls off and starts its own journey to be significant.
sentence = traveler
you can't see where you're going
order in which the meaning is presented. syntax
freewrite
I don't necessarily think it's strange that cell phones have been turned into a primary usage for text messaging and emails. The primary function of a cell phone may be to make calls but everyone wants their phones to be capable of everything imaginable. Text messaging has become a new form of communication that in some situations, is superior to calls. In certain emergencies text messages are discrete enough to contact someone if you are in trouble. On a less serious note, most conversations are not worth the call. The meaningless "hey" "hey what's up" "how are you" "i'm good, what about you" conversations would just take up valuable phone minutes and money.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
3 Questions From Everyone's Blogs
1. Why can't we both be the bread and the knife?
I think this is a wonderful question. It's so simple but when you think about the answer, that's when things get complicated. "You are the bread and the knife" Billy Collins reassures that he is not the bread and the knife. Why not? Why is not one person the bread and one person the knife? How can one person be both the bread and the knife that cuts it? To me that's exclaiming that the "lover" in the poem is their own worst enemy and overall, seems like an insult. That would explain why Billy is so concerned with making sure you know he is not the bread and the knife, as if he is above and superior to that metaphor. It almost gives off a selfish vibe to Billy Collins, like he does not want to share his metaphors.
2. Do you feel that cliche metaphors are ineffective at conveying strong meaning?
This is interesting because it is quite clear that Billy Collins thinks that cliche metaphors are useless in describing love, but I disagree. Love is something so broad and unexplainable that no one has the right to say what is and isn't true about it. Metaphors describing love are probably one of the most used things in the English language. Love has been compared to a vast majority of different feelings, objects, and events ranging from war to butterflies so who is to say that cliche metaphors don't work in describing love? I think that anything can convey a strong meaning if you truly believe it.
3. Were you trying to gain a positive, or negative response from the audience?
I think that Billy Collins was trying to just get any reaction he could from his audience. Love is always going to be a controversial topic so by choosing to talk about love in a sarcastic manner, Billy unleashed many possibilities for positive and negative reactions. I personally, respond both positively and negatively. I agree that it seems nonsensical to describe love with such meaningless words, but at the same time, there are no other words that better describe what love is.
I think this is a wonderful question. It's so simple but when you think about the answer, that's when things get complicated. "You are the bread and the knife" Billy Collins reassures that he is not the bread and the knife. Why not? Why is not one person the bread and one person the knife? How can one person be both the bread and the knife that cuts it? To me that's exclaiming that the "lover" in the poem is their own worst enemy and overall, seems like an insult. That would explain why Billy is so concerned with making sure you know he is not the bread and the knife, as if he is above and superior to that metaphor. It almost gives off a selfish vibe to Billy Collins, like he does not want to share his metaphors.
2. Do you feel that cliche metaphors are ineffective at conveying strong meaning?
This is interesting because it is quite clear that Billy Collins thinks that cliche metaphors are useless in describing love, but I disagree. Love is something so broad and unexplainable that no one has the right to say what is and isn't true about it. Metaphors describing love are probably one of the most used things in the English language. Love has been compared to a vast majority of different feelings, objects, and events ranging from war to butterflies so who is to say that cliche metaphors don't work in describing love? I think that anything can convey a strong meaning if you truly believe it.
3. Were you trying to gain a positive, or negative response from the audience?
I think that Billy Collins was trying to just get any reaction he could from his audience. Love is always going to be a controversial topic so by choosing to talk about love in a sarcastic manner, Billy unleashed many possibilities for positive and negative reactions. I personally, respond both positively and negatively. I agree that it seems nonsensical to describe love with such meaningless words, but at the same time, there are no other words that better describe what love is.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Six reasons why this paper’s argument MOVES me to think in new ways about its object and its subject.
It Gives You Wings
1. "Our nation dances to the beat of a fast drum." This metaphor creates astonishing imagery and makes me want to know what they're going to be talking about.
2. Relaying the significance of their arguments back to their first claim. Example :"red bull drinker can charge through life. it is an embodiment of power, strength and domination - characteristics appropriate for a country considered the strongest in the world."
3. Relating argument to instances people will be able to relate to(needing energy for busy lives)
4. Using questions to connect with the reader.
5. Personal statements supporting arguments.
6. Lots of examples with descriptions explaining an argument.
Apple's iPod: I've Got the World on a String (Shaped Earphone Chord)
1. "the iPod has become a cultural icon, itself symbolic of the desire to have the world at one's fingertips in a world of media oversaturation" Great claim and interesting point makes me want to continue reading.
2. Specific examples create great imagery.
3. "slimmer than a deck of cards" Nice metaphor
4. Future predictions are interesting.
5. broad to specific intro works
6. being able to create personal media is a great point that seems to be pushed aside most of the time.
It Gives You Wings
1. "Our nation dances to the beat of a fast drum." This metaphor creates astonishing imagery and makes me want to know what they're going to be talking about.
2. Relaying the significance of their arguments back to their first claim. Example :"red bull drinker can charge through life. it is an embodiment of power, strength and domination - characteristics appropriate for a country considered the strongest in the world."
3. Relating argument to instances people will be able to relate to(needing energy for busy lives)
4. Using questions to connect with the reader.
5. Personal statements supporting arguments.
6. Lots of examples with descriptions explaining an argument.
Apple's iPod: I've Got the World on a String (Shaped Earphone Chord)
1. "the iPod has become a cultural icon, itself symbolic of the desire to have the world at one's fingertips in a world of media oversaturation" Great claim and interesting point makes me want to continue reading.
2. Specific examples create great imagery.
3. "slimmer than a deck of cards" Nice metaphor
4. Future predictions are interesting.
5. broad to specific intro works
6. being able to create personal media is a great point that seems to be pushed aside most of the time.
Six reasons why I am inert and UNMOVED by this paper’s argument.
It Gives You Wings
1. 2nd paragraph is very assertively written to the point that it becomes repetitive and difficult to concentrate on anything but the words Red Bull. It takes away from the arguments within the paragraph.
2. Obviously stating the meaning behind Red Bull's slogan makes me disinterested.
3. Reasons of support for the "american's are stressed" argument seem too narrow. It can be expanded to a bigger picture of life, not just work and family. Life is stressful, and limited examples lead the reader to think those are the only causes of stress.
4. The door close argument can be great but is a little confusing. Needs a little more explanation to relate back to the fact that red bull creates instantaneous results like we want.
5. Personal experiences are packed into one paragraph.
6. The last sentence of the essay is the start to a great conclusion but the rest of the paragraph lacks significance because you are just restating things you've already said instead of expanding your argument to a greater thought.
It Gives You Wings
1. 2nd paragraph is very assertively written to the point that it becomes repetitive and difficult to concentrate on anything but the words Red Bull. It takes away from the arguments within the paragraph.
2. Obviously stating the meaning behind Red Bull's slogan makes me disinterested.
3. Reasons of support for the "american's are stressed" argument seem too narrow. It can be expanded to a bigger picture of life, not just work and family. Life is stressful, and limited examples lead the reader to think those are the only causes of stress.
4. The door close argument can be great but is a little confusing. Needs a little more explanation to relate back to the fact that red bull creates instantaneous results like we want.
5. Personal experiences are packed into one paragraph.
6. The last sentence of the essay is the start to a great conclusion but the rest of the paragraph lacks significance because you are just restating things you've already said instead of expanding your argument to a greater thought.
Apple's iPod: I've Got the World on a String (Shaped Earphone Chord)
1. Starting off with facts instead of your own words claiming your argument doesn't motivate me to read on.
2. Tendency to list.
3. Supportive arguments to initial claim are not very clear.
4. word choice weakens arguments for example, hipness, cool, indie..the mass use of words in air quotes becomes in-affective because it is being over-used.
5. Conclusion starts off stating another argument and is over a page long...
6. Needs to be brought full circle back to original claim.
Response to Will's essay formatting arguments
"Paper specificities are based off societal norms."
Yes I agree that MLA and APA formats are based off specifications that society has decided are appropriate.
"Color is seen as setting certain moods"
Brightly colored texts would create inferences that they are being used to label something or categorize the text. That is the first thing I would think if I saw different colored text in an essay.
"When writing a serious paper, the reader? should not see what the writer is feeling by visuals, instead, the writer should paint a picture with words the more professional a paper looks, the easier it is to follow."
Yes I agree that MLA and APA formats are based off specifications that society has decided are appropriate.
"Color is seen as setting certain moods"
Brightly colored texts would create inferences that they are being used to label something or categorize the text. That is the first thing I would think if I saw different colored text in an essay.
"When writing a serious paper, the reader? should not see what the writer is feeling by visuals, instead, the writer should paint a picture with words the more professional a paper looks, the easier it is to follow."
Focussing on the imagery that is being created within the words is important. Visuals need to be created in the mind, not directly through visual representations of colors.
We have good reasons for making certain choices about the medium we use for our writing. We don't want to fail papers for stupid reasons such as formatting. Most professors won't accept papers that are not standard MLA or APA formats. I have more important things to do than rebel against formatting. Formats exist for organization purposes. MLA and APA are for essays but every kind of writing has a different format. In TV/Film alone, there are multiple formats of scriptwriting, each of them having a different use or purpose. It all comes down to organization and writing language.
We have good reasons for making certain choices about the medium we use for our writing. We don't want to fail papers for stupid reasons such as formatting. Most professors won't accept papers that are not standard MLA or APA formats. I have more important things to do than rebel against formatting. Formats exist for organization purposes. MLA and APA are for essays but every kind of writing has a different format. In TV/Film alone, there are multiple formats of scriptwriting, each of them having a different use or purpose. It all comes down to organization and writing language.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Blog post #2
In "Litany," Billy Collins avails of a series of metaphors for a lover to communicate to his beloved. However, many of these deliberately fail, stray off topic, or seem lunatic. Write six questions (the right questions, of course) that you have for Collins about his poem and his rhetorical strategy.
In "Litany," Billy Collins avails of a series of metaphors for a lover to communicate to his beloved. However, many of these deliberately fail, stray off topic, or seem lunatic. Write six questions (the right questions, of course) that you have for Collins about his poem and his rhetorical strategy.
What made you think you could make another poet's poem better?
Why did you only rewrite the first two lines of the poem?
What comparisons would you think would be appropriate to describe love?
Why is "the bread and the knife the crystal goblet and the wine" used? Is it referring to a religious matter?
Did you just look at all of the objects and things of nature around you and compare them to love to prove a point?
Why do you think the original author chose these specific comparisons? "you are the dew on the morning grass and the burning wheel of the sun"
Thursday, February 17, 2011
In your ideal communicative situation, how would you best present your argument?
The best way I can express ideas is through digital media so I would create a digital short, or a commercial representing my argument about iPods and society. I would only need about 2 or 3 minutes to visually argue my point that iPods are a great example of how humans rely on technology. I think that "A day in the life" narrative that used some of Apple's advertising techniques while visually showing how our society depends on iPods is the best way to get my argument across.
I picture a person waking up to alarm clock that is an iPod in an iHome playing music.
You see them leaving the house holding their iPod and putting their headphones in as they leave the house and start their run. A different song plays while they run.
Cut to: person putting iPod in speakers and turning on music. This is either in a neutral room or they bring it to the bathroom while they shower so they can sing along in the shower. The song changes again.
Cut to: person dressed and ready for work, getting in their car. They plug in their iPod and a different song starts to play as they drive away.
While at work - think of a workplace that they'd use their ipod for something, maybe they connect it to a computer/projector or speakers or something during a presentation
Other ideas:
I love the idea of using the iPod speakers to "John Cusack" someone's window serenading them with the iPod's music. Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes needs to be playing.
During each scene I see a flash in the middle of the iPod "look" with the bright colored background, black silhouette and white iPod.
The song can either change every scene, or it can be one song that adjusts to the certain scene's feel.
I picture a person waking up to alarm clock that is an iPod in an iHome playing music.
You see them leaving the house holding their iPod and putting their headphones in as they leave the house and start their run. A different song plays while they run.
Cut to: person putting iPod in speakers and turning on music. This is either in a neutral room or they bring it to the bathroom while they shower so they can sing along in the shower. The song changes again.
Cut to: person dressed and ready for work, getting in their car. They plug in their iPod and a different song starts to play as they drive away.
While at work - think of a workplace that they'd use their ipod for something, maybe they connect it to a computer/projector or speakers or something during a presentation
Other ideas:
I love the idea of using the iPod speakers to "John Cusack" someone's window serenading them with the iPod's music. Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes needs to be playing.
During each scene I see a flash in the middle of the iPod "look" with the bright colored background, black silhouette and white iPod.
The song can either change every scene, or it can be one song that adjusts to the certain scene's feel.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Kuakas
When a writer starts a piece of work with a first person narrative storyline, I find it difficult to stop reading. It is such a personal way to begin a story that the reader gets pulled into the writing. Don Stap definitely takes advantage of this strategy in, "Flight of the Kuaka," beginning in the midst of Wetlands in New Zealand. I felt as if I was there with him, up to my own knees in mud and overwhelmed by whatever was going to happen with these birds. As Stap goes on, he introduces more characters into the picture and it becomes more clear that they are studying the flight patterns of bar-tailed godwit, which apparently looks like this:
For some reason, I thought the godwit would be more colorful, probably because of the colorful descriptions Stap offers. Even though he is constantly giving facts and scientific information about godwits, particularly the one they tracked, E7, he carefully places these statistics and observations within the story. I absorb the information better because it's being presented to me in the form of a story. It's easier to remember details like the godwit consumes as much food as it possibly can before it migrates on what is known to be, "the longest nonstop migratory flight for any bird" because as far as they know, it doesn't stop to eat, drink, or sleep during the eight days of it's journey(108). I didn't just push these numbers and facts aside like I normally would because Stap found a way to give these words actual meaning.
Along with his storytelling strategies, his words are descriptive and metaphoric, creating beautiful imagery. Right from the beginning, he gives us pictures like, "Having given up all pretense of grace, I wave my arms about with each step, as if I'm on a tightrope."(106). It's impossible to not see him in the middle of the wetlands, struggling to balance as he treks through the mud and tries to avoid manure. Being able to tell as story in a way that the reader can actually picture what's going on the way the author wants them to, is a difficult task. However, I think that Stap does an outstanding job of getting the interest and attention of the reader and telling us a story through his words.
Along with his storytelling strategies, his words are descriptive and metaphoric, creating beautiful imagery. Right from the beginning, he gives us pictures like, "Having given up all pretense of grace, I wave my arms about with each step, as if I'm on a tightrope."(106). It's impossible to not see him in the middle of the wetlands, struggling to balance as he treks through the mud and tries to avoid manure. Being able to tell as story in a way that the reader can actually picture what's going on the way the author wants them to, is a difficult task. However, I think that Stap does an outstanding job of getting the interest and attention of the reader and telling us a story through his words.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Definitions and Metaphors
mark each time lehrer offers a definition how elaborate is each definition what does the sequence of these mean in aggregate
game room - small room, about the size of a large closet, containing a desk and a chair
marshmallow task - This task forces kids to find a way to make the situation work for them. They want the second marshmallow, but how can they get it? We can’t control the world, but we can control how we think about it
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTfAkVsE
In adults, this skill is often referred to as metacognition, or thinking about thinking, and it’s what allows people to outsmart their shortcomings.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTflfE7x
“strategic allocation of attention.” Instead of getting obsessed with the marshmallow—the “hot stimulus”—the patient children distracted themselves by covering their eyes, pretending to play hide-and-seek underneath the desk, or singing songs from “Sesame Street.” Their desire wasn’t defeated—it was merely forgotten.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTfx8v8Y
This takes little effort, since smiling faces automatically trigger what’s known as “approach behavior.”
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DThZLPDB
have you found any metaphors in this text did you expect to find metaphors or metaphoric language in a scientific text?
These kids wrestled with temptation but found a way to resist.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTdnQDzc
The initial goal of the experiment was to identify the mental processes that allowed some people to delay gratification while others simply surrendered.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTdvMhuN
Mischel argues that intelligence is largely at the mercy of self-control
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTf5rgHg
He talks with a Brooklyn bluster and he tends to act out his sentences, so that when he describes the marshmallow task he takes on the body language of an impatient four-year-ol
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTfLEAI8
“At the time, it seemed like a mental X-ray machine,” he says. “You could solve a person by showing them a picture.”
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTg7nJMB
“In general, trying to separate nature and nurture makes about as much sense as trying to separate personality and situation,”
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTgejRo6
In other words, people learn how to use their mind just as they learn how to use a computer: through trial and error.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTgmcSoZ
such as pretending that the candy is only a picture, surrounded by an imaginary frame
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTgvia2D
“All I’ve done is given them some tips from their mental user manual,”
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTh0CshJ
According to Jonides, this is how self-control “cashes out” in the real world: as an ability to direct the spotlight of attention so that our decisions aren’t determined by the wrong thoughts.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DThJOWjm
“The only way to defeat them is to avoid them, and that means paying attention to something else. We call that will power, but it’s got nothing to do with the will.”
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTiAQgTi
game room - small room, about the size of a large closet, containing a desk and a chair
marshmallow task - This task forces kids to find a way to make the situation work for them. They want the second marshmallow, but how can they get it? We can’t control the world, but we can control how we think about it
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTfAkVsE
In adults, this skill is often referred to as metacognition, or thinking about thinking, and it’s what allows people to outsmart their shortcomings.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTflfE7x
“strategic allocation of attention.” Instead of getting obsessed with the marshmallow—the “hot stimulus”—the patient children distracted themselves by covering their eyes, pretending to play hide-and-seek underneath the desk, or singing songs from “Sesame Street.” Their desire wasn’t defeated—it was merely forgotten.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTfx8v8Y
This takes little effort, since smiling faces automatically trigger what’s known as “approach behavior.”
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DThZLPDB
have you found any metaphors in this text did you expect to find metaphors or metaphoric language in a scientific text?
These kids wrestled with temptation but found a way to resist.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTdnQDzc
The initial goal of the experiment was to identify the mental processes that allowed some people to delay gratification while others simply surrendered.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTdvMhuN
Mischel argues that intelligence is largely at the mercy of self-control
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTf5rgHg
He talks with a Brooklyn bluster and he tends to act out his sentences, so that when he describes the marshmallow task he takes on the body language of an impatient four-year-ol
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTfLEAI8
“At the time, it seemed like a mental X-ray machine,” he says. “You could solve a person by showing them a picture.”
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTg7nJMB
“In general, trying to separate nature and nurture makes about as much sense as trying to separate personality and situation,”
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTgejRo6
In other words, people learn how to use their mind just as they learn how to use a computer: through trial and error.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTgmcSoZ
such as pretending that the candy is only a picture, surrounded by an imaginary frame
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTgvia2D
“All I’ve done is given them some tips from their mental user manual,”
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTh0CshJ
According to Jonides, this is how self-control “cashes out” in the real world: as an ability to direct the spotlight of attention so that our decisions aren’t determined by the wrong thoughts.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DThJOWjm
“The only way to defeat them is to avoid them, and that means paying attention to something else. We call that will power, but it’s got nothing to do with the will.”
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz1DTiAQgTi
Lack of meaning
"In thinking about a certain idea, many sentences and ideas can be drawn by using detailed words within this idea."
When I read this sentence, I cannot figure out what they are talking about. It reminds me of the film Breathless because of the way it goes in circles and over-all is about nothing, which is how the majority of the dialogue in Breathless was written. But, that was done un-purpose and I'm almost 100% positive that the author of the sentence above did not intend to write meaningless words. If I were to make an assumption as to what this sentence was trying to say, it would be along the lines of, "Sentences can be formed by thinking of ideas." However, I really don't think that was the point of this sentence either. Honestly, I have no clue what that person was trying to say. Things that make this sentence hard to read and process include the structure of the sentence and the word choices. The word idea is used three times in this one sentence, yet I have no idea what it means. The structure makes you believe that many sentences and ideas is the subject that is "thinking about a certain idea". Another thing that makes the word choice so unclear is the fact that they used "idea" to describe the word "ideas". "Ideas can be drawn by using detailed words within this idea." What idea? Is this an opening sentence that is supposed to be explaining whatever will succeed it? There is no introduction or explanation for anything said in the above sentence.
When I read this sentence, I cannot figure out what they are talking about. It reminds me of the film Breathless because of the way it goes in circles and over-all is about nothing, which is how the majority of the dialogue in Breathless was written. But, that was done un-purpose and I'm almost 100% positive that the author of the sentence above did not intend to write meaningless words. If I were to make an assumption as to what this sentence was trying to say, it would be along the lines of, "Sentences can be formed by thinking of ideas." However, I really don't think that was the point of this sentence either. Honestly, I have no clue what that person was trying to say. Things that make this sentence hard to read and process include the structure of the sentence and the word choices. The word idea is used three times in this one sentence, yet I have no idea what it means. The structure makes you believe that many sentences and ideas is the subject that is "thinking about a certain idea". Another thing that makes the word choice so unclear is the fact that they used "idea" to describe the word "ideas". "Ideas can be drawn by using detailed words within this idea." What idea? Is this an opening sentence that is supposed to be explaining whatever will succeed it? There is no introduction or explanation for anything said in the above sentence.
what other people don't understand
"He still flinches at the naïveté of graduate students who based their diagnosis on a battery of meaningless tests."
Friday, February 4, 2011
iPods + American Culture and Society ♫
Music has always been a definitive part of American society. As times change and technology advances, ways to have music be a part of your daily life increase. The invention of iPods is a prime example of just that. A portable personal music player that was not bulky like CD or walkman player changed the way society was able to share and distribute music. iPods redefined the music industry. The small players could be taken anywhere and could hold albums upon albums of your favorite bands and musicians. Now Apple did not just stop at music. They broadened their players to read video files. But why just stop there? Apple has expanded their iPods to be able to download applications and access wireless internet. They now have truly captured modern American society in a device that fits in the palm of one's hand.
The first model of the iPod had six different generations and was called the Classic iPod. After the classic came the Mini which had two generations. Then came the Nano which had six generations and then the Shuffle that had four generations. Finally, the latest model of the iPod is the Touch which has already had four generations, the last one just released in September of 2010. Each iPod model has a short and sweet phrase or catchy slogan to go along with it. The advertising techniques for the iPod is brilliant. They are modern and clearly target a young audience.
Commercials for iPods are technically and aesthetically pleasing. By using bright colors and contrasting that with silhouettes of lively, dancing people, apple was able to create a party like atmosphere while also creating mystery and intrigue with the silhouettes. The iPod itself, along with it's headphones are always white, making sure to stand out. Popular music is always the soundtrack of these artistic commercials and the only text you see is simple. They have a short and sweet and to the point concept. Early commercials just had "iPod + itunes" and they always end with the apple symbol. Another example of this is a commercial specifically for the iPod shuffle. They give it a catchy and metaphorical slogan by simply saying "Life is random" and then following with "iPod shuffle $99". I have personally never owned an iPod, but if I have always wanted one. If I had the money to spend I would without a doubt purchase one.
Apple is obviously in tune with it's buyer. They are very aware of how american culture relies on technology. As a society, we strive off of having the newest gadgets. They consume our daily lives. Apple is extremely successful in keeping up with the kinds of technology that society will obsess over. I use obsess because it is always a frenzy when it comes to iPods. It is as if you are not a human if you do not own one. It is extremely evident just through the concept of iPods that American culture values technology. We wouldn't be able to function to our full potential without it.
The first model of the iPod had six different generations and was called the Classic iPod. After the classic came the Mini which had two generations. Then came the Nano which had six generations and then the Shuffle that had four generations. Finally, the latest model of the iPod is the Touch which has already had four generations, the last one just released in September of 2010. Each iPod model has a short and sweet phrase or catchy slogan to go along with it. The advertising techniques for the iPod is brilliant. They are modern and clearly target a young audience.
Commercials for iPods are technically and aesthetically pleasing. By using bright colors and contrasting that with silhouettes of lively, dancing people, apple was able to create a party like atmosphere while also creating mystery and intrigue with the silhouettes. The iPod itself, along with it's headphones are always white, making sure to stand out. Popular music is always the soundtrack of these artistic commercials and the only text you see is simple. They have a short and sweet and to the point concept. Early commercials just had "iPod + itunes" and they always end with the apple symbol. Another example of this is a commercial specifically for the iPod shuffle. They give it a catchy and metaphorical slogan by simply saying "Life is random" and then following with "iPod shuffle $99". I have personally never owned an iPod, but if I have always wanted one. If I had the money to spend I would without a doubt purchase one.
Apple is obviously in tune with it's buyer. They are very aware of how american culture relies on technology. As a society, we strive off of having the newest gadgets. They consume our daily lives. Apple is extremely successful in keeping up with the kinds of technology that society will obsess over. I use obsess because it is always a frenzy when it comes to iPods. It is as if you are not a human if you do not own one. It is extremely evident just through the concept of iPods that American culture values technology. We wouldn't be able to function to our full potential without it.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
"You can shine"
The Pantene commercial we viewed in class is full of metaphors and symbols to get a main point across. I think the goal of the commercial was to promote Pantene as a hair product that can cause you to "shine" and fulfill your true potential. By using Pantene, you can overcome hardships in your life. The main character of the Pantene commercial is a young girl who struggles with her dreams because she is deaf. Her life is broken just like her violin. Her being deaf caused problems for her, suppressing what she was actually capable of. The people who attacked her and the old man on the street wanted to make her feel inferior because of her disability. However, she finds a way to put her life back together like the taped violin and still creates something beautiful.
Another example the commercial uses to promote success while insinuating about the hair is towards the end, when the girl is playing the taped up violin. During that sequence, a montage of her playing on stage and her looking out and playing in the field is used to emphasize the opportunity that awaits her. This is when a shot of a butterfly emerging from it's cocoon appears. The butterfly seems to have one true meaning, but it was brought to my attention that Pantene's logo used to be a butterfly, which has now just turned into half of it's logo, so it no longer looks like a butterfly so much but you can tell it's half a wing. Before realizing that, the butterfly seemed to represent the girl's new found freedom. The cocoon could be a metaphor that symbolizes the girl's strength to overcome adversity and do something that no one thought she was capable of. Also, the butterfly can represent the girl directly, saying that she, or her hair is beautiful and free just like the butterfly. She is emerging and growing into something beautiful. Interestingly enough the butterfly then flies off into the open field symbolizing a new life and new opportunities for the girl.
The street performer represented a mentor character for the young girl. He is clearly struggling and trying to make his way through life as a street performer. The story of the commercial relies on his character to provide wisdom and inspiration. The first thing that came to mind when trying to describe him was Yoda from Star Wars. His characteristics are not only similar but the way he gives advice to the deaf girl is very similar to Yoda. He inspires the girl to keep going, even when everyone else tries to make her give up. For example, when the group of boys attack them on the street, the girl then realizes that she needs to play in front of that huge audience to prove them wrong. By teaching her life lessons such as "it's okay to be different," the old man symbolizes someone that most people hope to meet at some point in their lifetime. He helps the girl "shine" to her full potential. Pantene was tricky with these carefully placed metaphors and symbols. They successfully pulled off making a four minute long commercial that seemingly had nothing to do with their product, until the viewer looks deeper into their subliminal messages.
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