Tuesday, January 29, 2008
dave barry like humor
"it's ok, honey, you're blonde." Man if i had a peso for evey time i heard that, i could own an entire mexican village. Now what does having light hair have to do with intelligence is what a would likw to know?! Now i am aware that Paris hilton, Blonde britney spears and lindsey lohan, and elle woods don't do the blonde community justice. But i am also aware that the rest of us successful, pretty blones have to pay the price for these poor unfortunate souls (2 of which aren't even natural). Dyed blondes are about as natural as a screendoor in a sumarine. But the praise i receive after undestanding the punch line of a joke is quite welcome. It's nice to feel that i have just won the nobelprize weekly, which is the rate at which i fully comprehend other peoples jokes. i mean my jokes, oh theyre awesome!! But other people i guess just really aren't that funny unless theyre male, 6'5" with olive dskin, gorgeous eyes, and a body that could lift a hummer out of a ditch. Now those are funny people! And the blonde charm infused in my dna allows me to grab the attention of tese hilaarious people. i don't need an education. i have flaxen locks attached to my scalp and that justifys everything. But thats not my point! Wait what was my point?
Friday, January 25, 2008
Humor story comparisons
Read “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and “Lost in the Kitchen” in 50 essays.
Analyze them for humor. How do the authors use specific details, hyperbole, and writing style to make you laugh (or at least smile?) Write a short blog post analyzing their styles of humor.
Analyze them for humor. How do the authors use specific details, hyperbole, and writing style to make you laugh (or at least smile?) Write a short blog post analyzing their styles of humor.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
kill 'em crush 'em
ABSENT
borrowed from yi
"The fact that John McMurtry can no longer move his neck without pain or move his arm lends credibility because he has suffered a great deal of personal injury because of the sport that he is criticizing. Therefore, he has had a lot of personal experience and knows what he is talking about.
2. It's interesting to see how many ways that football can be compared to war. The fact that presidents used to compare wars with football games and the fact that football terms mirror war terms convinced me that football wasn't necessarily the safest sport around (aside from the statistics on injuries). This comparison appeals to logos because it shows how football and its destructive aims are comparable to war and how these two things are extremely similar when analyzed thoroughly.
4. These findings support McMurtry's argument against the brutality of football because they show that Americans are starting to break down their society and reflect the violent tendencies of football/war.
5. There is the passage where the author is talking about how he had to suppress his natural desires and tendency and become more violent to play the sport of football.
7. McMurtry's audience is definitely the general American audience who watches and admires the sport of football and violence in general. The audience does not need to know much about football in order to know that there is a great deal of injury and immoral teachings.
Author's conclusion: football and war are alike. both support violence. both are organized. and other liberal Canadian babble about how football is too violent. "
borrowed from yi
"The fact that John McMurtry can no longer move his neck without pain or move his arm lends credibility because he has suffered a great deal of personal injury because of the sport that he is criticizing. Therefore, he has had a lot of personal experience and knows what he is talking about.
2. It's interesting to see how many ways that football can be compared to war. The fact that presidents used to compare wars with football games and the fact that football terms mirror war terms convinced me that football wasn't necessarily the safest sport around (aside from the statistics on injuries). This comparison appeals to logos because it shows how football and its destructive aims are comparable to war and how these two things are extremely similar when analyzed thoroughly.
4. These findings support McMurtry's argument against the brutality of football because they show that Americans are starting to break down their society and reflect the violent tendencies of football/war.
5. There is the passage where the author is talking about how he had to suppress his natural desires and tendency and become more violent to play the sport of football.
7. McMurtry's audience is definitely the general American audience who watches and admires the sport of football and violence in general. The audience does not need to know much about football in order to know that there is a great deal of injury and immoral teachings.
Author's conclusion: football and war are alike. both support violence. both are organized. and other liberal Canadian babble about how football is too violent. "
Shipping out
Read Shipping Out and in a 200-300 word blog post analyze the rhetorical strategies Wallace uses to describe luxury cruise lines. What is the author’s attitude towards luxury and how does he signal that in his rhetorical choices?
Wallace uses Pathos in saying "i know, i've been there, listen to me." Through the entire piece, each sentence (but the last paragraph)starts with "I have" and is follwed by some verb (seen, heard, smelled) that is generally related to one of the 5 senses. "I have learned that there are actually intensities of blue beyond very bright blue. I have eaten more and classier food ..." This is an example of the reetition and parallel phrasing used. His use of syntax in these ares is very qualified is not a bit over qualified.
I don't know if his atitude is neggative or positive. He speaks of the good sides to pampering on cruises, but at the end confuses ith his negative tone with how the pampering ideals are presented. "The fact hat adult Americans tend to associate the word "pamper" with a certain other consumer product is not an accident..." makes it seem like he's blaming advertising for spoiling americans. ut, i think over all his tone is positive with all of the pleasant adjectives used and parallel syntax.
Wallace uses Pathos in saying "i know, i've been there, listen to me." Through the entire piece, each sentence (but the last paragraph)starts with "I have" and is follwed by some verb (seen, heard, smelled) that is generally related to one of the 5 senses. "I have learned that there are actually intensities of blue beyond very bright blue. I have eaten more and classier food ..." This is an example of the reetition and parallel phrasing used. His use of syntax in these ares is very qualified is not a bit over qualified.
I don't know if his atitude is neggative or positive. He speaks of the good sides to pampering on cruises, but at the end confuses ith his negative tone with how the pampering ideals are presented. "The fact hat adult Americans tend to associate the word "pamper" with a certain other consumer product is not an accident..." makes it seem like he's blaming advertising for spoiling americans. ut, i think over all his tone is positive with all of the pleasant adjectives used and parallel syntax.
killer bee video
Next, watch this movie and in a blog post describe what happens in your best descriptive way (metaphors, sensory language, etc.) in a 300-400 word blog post.
This video, although it didn't quite work, was very interesting. I can see a lot of parallels to the real world even though the story was of bees and birds. The message i took away was that if you want somthing done, then you need to take action on your own. Authority isn't always beneficial and although bad things may come your way, the end result will be worthwhile.
Th pastell pink, spotted flowers dangling in cages are used to in a giant factory. the only honey bee in my view is tired and drooping. The floer is squeezed rithlessly, and the resulting juice set into a glass. The glass filled with the wine-red flower juice passes along a conveyor belt to the bee. The bee throws the liquid down its beak and hiccups. Then he/she throws the liquid back up into the glass. Only this time the liquid is frothing, bubbly golden honey.
This video, although it didn't quite work, was very interesting. I can see a lot of parallels to the real world even though the story was of bees and birds. The message i took away was that if you want somthing done, then you need to take action on your own. Authority isn't always beneficial and although bad things may come your way, the end result will be worthwhile.
Th pastell pink, spotted flowers dangling in cages are used to in a giant factory. the only honey bee in my view is tired and drooping. The floer is squeezed rithlessly, and the resulting juice set into a glass. The glass filled with the wine-red flower juice passes along a conveyor belt to the bee. The bee throws the liquid down its beak and hiccups. Then he/she throws the liquid back up into the glass. Only this time the liquid is frothing, bubbly golden honey.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Hockenberry accoun of working at Dateline NBC
, I’m going to ask you to characterize his persona by including quotes as you might in a rhetorical analysis essay. Then, how would you summarize in one paragraph what H is claiming about network news. Finally, explain whether you agree, disagree, or qualifyingly agree/disagree and explain in one paragraph what you believe to be true about network news. 300 words blog post
"you don't understand our audience."
"I can say with confidence that Murrow would be outraged not so much by the networks’ greed (Murrow was one of the first news personalities to hire a talent agent) as by the missed opportunity to use technology to help create a nation of engaged citizens bent on preserving their freedom and their connections to the broader world." Hockenberry makes references to sttrong news media historical figures to show that he's well educated and knows what he's talking about.
"This was one in a series of lessons I learned about how television news had lost its most basic journalistic instincts in its search for the audience-driven sweet spot, the “emotional center” of the American people. " This is essentially what the article is about: the lack of educational knowlege presented in media. All thats being presented by the media are stories that kep viewers entertained, its a sidestep of hollywoor. News has become an extension of hollywood films.
Hockenberry is claiming that news media is not focused on bringing about issues that further the development of the citizens, but on keeping the viewers watching like its the next soap opera film of the year. I totally agree because the stories I see are all 30 sec to 1 min long and are the "tear-jerker stories." I feel as though i'm watching a movie.
"you don't understand our audience."
"I can say with confidence that Murrow would be outraged not so much by the networks’ greed (Murrow was one of the first news personalities to hire a talent agent) as by the missed opportunity to use technology to help create a nation of engaged citizens bent on preserving their freedom and their connections to the broader world." Hockenberry makes references to sttrong news media historical figures to show that he's well educated and knows what he's talking about.
"This was one in a series of lessons I learned about how television news had lost its most basic journalistic instincts in its search for the audience-driven sweet spot, the “emotional center” of the American people. " This is essentially what the article is about: the lack of educational knowlege presented in media. All thats being presented by the media are stories that kep viewers entertained, its a sidestep of hollywoor. News has become an extension of hollywood films.
Hockenberry is claiming that news media is not focused on bringing about issues that further the development of the citizens, but on keeping the viewers watching like its the next soap opera film of the year. I totally agree because the stories I see are all 30 sec to 1 min long and are the "tear-jerker stories." I feel as though i'm watching a movie.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
arms and the man GROUP discussion
mayuri, cecilia, whitney, paige, lisa
Take a look at the hook and the “I first heard…” paragraph. Why do you think she starts this way? What is intersting to her about the Toughman competition?
I think she starts with "i first heard..." to set the stage for her story. This way the reader knows exactly what he/seh is going to read about without being confused. To Kathy Dobie, what draws her in is the ," cruelty and potential for humiliation--the risk every fighter takes and every skiny girls takes in the ring." She haeard about the contest from her photography er friends in detroit.
Characterize her attitude towards West Virginia? Is it affectionate? Snarky? Condescending? Realistic? What?
Her attitude towards West Virginia is an attempt to be realistic but comes off condescending. It seems a "realistic" place to go to Dobie visit because she has a scewed image of the cruel side to the Toughman Contest, so her attitude comes off condescending. "West Virginia seemed teh perfect place to watch a Toughman Contest: it's very white and deeply working-cass." This fits her image of the contest but seems to have a negative tone to the reader.
In the Clarksburg paragraph she uses all kinds of figurative language? Why? For what purpose?
The figurative language makes Clarksburg seems unique to match the unique contest going on. The figurative language shows the elements of the town to mirror image the contest. Also, the figurative language is used to set the stage and give the reader a picture in their mind of what Dobie is seeing.
Describe how Dobie captures the character of Jerry Thomas. What does she focus on? Why? What is he doing in this story?
She describes his physical features and gives insite to the different elements of Jerry Thomas. She gives details about him that you could notice in the first 10 minutes of talkign with him so that it's an image of what she and other people see. Dobie is giving us a window into her mind/ eyes. She focuses mainly on these physical features and demeanor easily noticed. She includes him because he is basically teh "boss/ big man" of the comptetition. By including Jerry, the reader gains an image of who is behind the contest.
How does Dobie describe the women at the fight? Do they fight differently? Do you find it sterotypical or offensive? How does the author juxtapose the male and female participants?
He describes the women as having "no finesse." The men seem tobe there for teh glory and ego-boost, while the women are there for necessity of the monetary prize to help them with their lives, or simply for teh pleasure. The women fight differently because they don't "run away", but seem to stick together and duke it out in "one spot" until someone wins. The author just smoothly transfers from girl fights to guy fights.
What does Dobie find when she interviews Ferrel and Cogar? Does this fit into her thesis? Would she put them in if they had awesome jobs they loved?
She gfins out that they're only here because, "they had nothing better to do." The believed their lives were worth next to nothing, so might as well! This fits into her thesis as to the differences in why guys and girls fight. I don't think she would put them in if they had jobs they liked because throughout teh story she makes it seem like this is teh best taht's going on there.
Look at the descriptions of the fighting itself. How does the author use sentence structure and detail to capture the fighting?
Dobie uses a lot of detail in teh fights. "In round three, John takes a hit, seems to get tangled in his own feet, whils around, and falls face first into the ropes." THis gives follows her suit of providig with descriptive details to the readers so they don't jsut read about teh fight, they can picture it in their minds and feel liek they are there. She shows instead of tells.
She uses sentence structure taht mirrors teh fighting itself with adjectives liek "whirl" and visual images of the fighting to let the reader visually picture it.
Take a look at the ending. What does the writer leave us with? What point is she trying to make about motivation and the Toughman?
She leaves the reader with questions about society and the struggles of teh world. She gives the reader a sense of the bigger picture out int eh world. Dobie is trying tomake a point about motive in the toughman taht people would rather settle their problems with physical force because it is something tangible that people can deal with on a physical level. Racism is not something that can be dealt with physically, it is an emotional struggle.
To what degree has the author put herself into this story? Where do we see her subjectivity and bias? Is that a good thing?
Grab an effective quote from any section of the piece and discuss why you thought it worked. Be specific.
In teh econd to last paragraph we see the bias of Dobies that she believes taht all people in Clarksurg hate their jobs and lfe. " He's worked hard all day...but can't say he likes his job. Maybe he and his wife aren't getting along." She interviewed two fighters taht hate their lives and now suddenly believes taht all Clarksburg citizens hate their lives. This is jsut her personal bias, so we don't think it's necessarily a good or bad thing. For me personally it would be abad thing to have a negative outlook on the people in the town based on the views of a couple individuals. The author uses her in teh story to show teh reader what she's seeing which gives the reader a window in to her mind.
Take a look at the hook and the “I first heard…” paragraph. Why do you think she starts this way? What is intersting to her about the Toughman competition?
I think she starts with "i first heard..." to set the stage for her story. This way the reader knows exactly what he/seh is going to read about without being confused. To Kathy Dobie, what draws her in is the ," cruelty and potential for humiliation--the risk every fighter takes and every skiny girls takes in the ring." She haeard about the contest from her photography er friends in detroit.
Characterize her attitude towards West Virginia? Is it affectionate? Snarky? Condescending? Realistic? What?
Her attitude towards West Virginia is an attempt to be realistic but comes off condescending. It seems a "realistic" place to go to Dobie visit because she has a scewed image of the cruel side to the Toughman Contest, so her attitude comes off condescending. "West Virginia seemed teh perfect place to watch a Toughman Contest: it's very white and deeply working-cass." This fits her image of the contest but seems to have a negative tone to the reader.
In the Clarksburg paragraph she uses all kinds of figurative language? Why? For what purpose?
The figurative language makes Clarksburg seems unique to match the unique contest going on. The figurative language shows the elements of the town to mirror image the contest. Also, the figurative language is used to set the stage and give the reader a picture in their mind of what Dobie is seeing.
Describe how Dobie captures the character of Jerry Thomas. What does she focus on? Why? What is he doing in this story?
She describes his physical features and gives insite to the different elements of Jerry Thomas. She gives details about him that you could notice in the first 10 minutes of talkign with him so that it's an image of what she and other people see. Dobie is giving us a window into her mind/ eyes. She focuses mainly on these physical features and demeanor easily noticed. She includes him because he is basically teh "boss/ big man" of the comptetition. By including Jerry, the reader gains an image of who is behind the contest.
How does Dobie describe the women at the fight? Do they fight differently? Do you find it sterotypical or offensive? How does the author juxtapose the male and female participants?
He describes the women as having "no finesse." The men seem tobe there for teh glory and ego-boost, while the women are there for necessity of the monetary prize to help them with their lives, or simply for teh pleasure. The women fight differently because they don't "run away", but seem to stick together and duke it out in "one spot" until someone wins. The author just smoothly transfers from girl fights to guy fights.
What does Dobie find when she interviews Ferrel and Cogar? Does this fit into her thesis? Would she put them in if they had awesome jobs they loved?
She gfins out that they're only here because, "they had nothing better to do." The believed their lives were worth next to nothing, so might as well! This fits into her thesis as to the differences in why guys and girls fight. I don't think she would put them in if they had jobs they liked because throughout teh story she makes it seem like this is teh best taht's going on there.
Look at the descriptions of the fighting itself. How does the author use sentence structure and detail to capture the fighting?
Dobie uses a lot of detail in teh fights. "In round three, John takes a hit, seems to get tangled in his own feet, whils around, and falls face first into the ropes." THis gives follows her suit of providig with descriptive details to the readers so they don't jsut read about teh fight, they can picture it in their minds and feel liek they are there. She shows instead of tells.
She uses sentence structure taht mirrors teh fighting itself with adjectives liek "whirl" and visual images of the fighting to let the reader visually picture it.
Take a look at the ending. What does the writer leave us with? What point is she trying to make about motivation and the Toughman?
She leaves the reader with questions about society and the struggles of teh world. She gives the reader a sense of the bigger picture out int eh world. Dobie is trying tomake a point about motive in the toughman taht people would rather settle their problems with physical force because it is something tangible that people can deal with on a physical level. Racism is not something that can be dealt with physically, it is an emotional struggle.
To what degree has the author put herself into this story? Where do we see her subjectivity and bias? Is that a good thing?
Grab an effective quote from any section of the piece and discuss why you thought it worked. Be specific.
In teh econd to last paragraph we see the bias of Dobies that she believes taht all people in Clarksurg hate their jobs and lfe. " He's worked hard all day...but can't say he likes his job. Maybe he and his wife aren't getting along." She interviewed two fighters taht hate their lives and now suddenly believes taht all Clarksburg citizens hate their lives. This is jsut her personal bias, so we don't think it's necessarily a good or bad thing. For me personally it would be abad thing to have a negative outlook on the people in the town based on the views of a couple individuals. The author uses her in teh story to show teh reader what she's seeing which gives the reader a window in to her mind.
shotting dad
Read “Shooting Dad” in 50 Essays and analyze it rhetorically. What strategies does she use to tell her story? Alternatively, find a good section from the radio program This American Life to listen to and analyze.
Sarah Vowell uses conversationall language to appear personable to her audience. She describes her childhood in terms easily understood by the general audience. Her use of pathos is exquisite as she comes accross as a normal person that anyone can relate to (women more than men, however). "It has been me experience that in order to impress potential suitors, skip the teen Debussy anecdotes and stick with the always attention-getting line 'My dad makes guns.'" She uses such common but effective language. Vowell does an excelent job of using fun slang words like "goofy" and sentences like "It's just really really cool." Vowell can use educated words and phrases but also casual ones too; there is a perfect balance.
Sarah Vowell uses conversationall language to appear personable to her audience. She describes her childhood in terms easily understood by the general audience. Her use of pathos is exquisite as she comes accross as a normal person that anyone can relate to (women more than men, however). "It has been me experience that in order to impress potential suitors, skip the teen Debussy anecdotes and stick with the always attention-getting line 'My dad makes guns.'" She uses such common but effective language. Vowell does an excelent job of using fun slang words like "goofy" and sentences like "It's just really really cool." Vowell can use educated words and phrases but also casual ones too; there is a perfect balance.
on dumpster diving
Read Lars Eighner’s On Dumpster Diving (in 50 Essays) and evaluate it as a piece of descriptive journalism in a 200-300 word blog post.
Eighner (E) gives a descriptive tail of not only his fascination with dumpsters, but his survival need of them. He informs the reader that he gets his life's ecessities (ecxer for jeans he mentions) from dumpsters. E is careful to use only the best terms to describe dumpsters and the "art" of dumpster diving.
After describing his own dumpster diving life experience, E goes on to describe the route peope take in becoming dumpster dvers themselves, a bit of a generic whats what, and who's who. E gives a tale of a typical dumpster diver and the journey he/she takes to become where they are in life. Not many people willingly choose the life of a dumpster diver, but then embrace their situation as time goes on.
A good quote i think is, "I think of scavenging as the modern form of self-reliance." E has turned his dumpster shyness into openmindedness. And he makes sure to show his patronage to dumpsers by always capitalizing the D on dumpster.
Eighner (E) gives a descriptive tail of not only his fascination with dumpsters, but his survival need of them. He informs the reader that he gets his life's ecessities (ecxer for jeans he mentions) from dumpsters. E is careful to use only the best terms to describe dumpsters and the "art" of dumpster diving.
After describing his own dumpster diving life experience, E goes on to describe the route peope take in becoming dumpster dvers themselves, a bit of a generic whats what, and who's who. E gives a tale of a typical dumpster diver and the journey he/she takes to become where they are in life. Not many people willingly choose the life of a dumpster diver, but then embrace their situation as time goes on.
A good quote i think is, "I think of scavenging as the modern form of self-reliance." E has turned his dumpster shyness into openmindedness. And he makes sure to show his patronage to dumpsers by always capitalizing the D on dumpster.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Baldwin/Buckley Persona
Read all of “Why don’t we complain?” and this selection from James Baldwin write a 200-300 word blog post that contrasts the use of persona between Buckley and Baldwin.
I think the purposes of the pieces were extremely different. Buckley seemed to write his for the concern of the greater society and Baldwin for getting his own voice hear about his life. Baldwin's piece is an autobiography while Buckley's is an outreach to society. For this reason the persona was completely different. Buckley is seeming to say "hey look this is what i see, and this is not good." Where as Baldwin is saying, "this is who i am, where i have come from, and how i got where i am today." Because the purposes are completely different for each pieces it shows trough their writing. Baldwin is more interested in getting the audience to feel his life struggle and feel with him so he talks about himself and how he relates to society but not about soceity. Buckley's piece is a cry to society to change their passive ways so he uses anecdotes to get his point accross that he has been there and knows how it feels to not want to complain but in the bigger picture knows that it is unhelpful to have an entire nation of passive people. He doesn't use the entire piece as a story about himself bt rather peppers it with different enecdotal experiences.
I think the purposes of the pieces were extremely different. Buckley seemed to write his for the concern of the greater society and Baldwin for getting his own voice hear about his life. Baldwin's piece is an autobiography while Buckley's is an outreach to society. For this reason the persona was completely different. Buckley is seeming to say "hey look this is what i see, and this is not good." Where as Baldwin is saying, "this is who i am, where i have come from, and how i got where i am today." Because the purposes are completely different for each pieces it shows trough their writing. Baldwin is more interested in getting the audience to feel his life struggle and feel with him so he talks about himself and how he relates to society but not about soceity. Buckley's piece is a cry to society to change their passive ways so he uses anecdotes to get his point accross that he has been there and knows how it feels to not want to complain but in the bigger picture knows that it is unhelpful to have an entire nation of passive people. He doesn't use the entire piece as a story about himself bt rather peppers it with different enecdotal experiences.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
The Edge Annual Question
Alan Alda wrote a blog on how he changed his mind about how he viewed religion and his own personal beliefs on god. He has changed from religious to athiest to agnostic and is still contemplating and struggling with his views and a label for those views. It seems that alda's greatest problem is finding a term to associate himself with. he isn't religious but doesn't really believe he falls under the term atheist, since it's such a strong word, and so more closely associates himself with the term agnostic. i think he will definitely continue adapting his views and "labels."
New Years Question
"What did you change your mind about in 2007." Do a 100 word blog post and then read at least 4 of the responses
I changed my mind about how much time I wanted to spend with my family. I started 2007 with wanting to spend as litle time as possible with my family to the end of 2007 where i spent many weekends sitting at home with my family watching movies and such. I changed my behavior to reflect my wish to be closer to my family. I believe this change in mind and attitude came with my realization that I was going to be leaving and going away to college in a year + less. As i went from junior year to senior year i decided taht i wanted to be spend as much time with my family as was possible since i would never again live under the same roof with both my siblings and my parents, which is very sad!
I changed my mind about how much time I wanted to spend with my family. I started 2007 with wanting to spend as litle time as possible with my family to the end of 2007 where i spent many weekends sitting at home with my family watching movies and such. I changed my behavior to reflect my wish to be closer to my family. I believe this change in mind and attitude came with my realization that I was going to be leaving and going away to college in a year + less. As i went from junior year to senior year i decided taht i wanted to be spend as much time with my family as was possible since i would never again live under the same roof with both my siblings and my parents, which is very sad!
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