ENG 001: Language & Writing

WP3

2008-05-07T13:31:00.003-05:00

Iron & Wine - Carousel

Iron & Wine’s words describing life within the song Carousel are almost as beautiful as a carousel spinning endlessly. It makes me feel that life really is relatable to that old yellow, blue and red carousel at the park near my house.

I would race home after school to run to the miniature carousel that dwelled in the park, which had a name that I was once far too familiar with but now could not recall. The little horses, zebras, giraffes, dogs and various other strange animals were worn down until tarnished metal was heavily prevalent with little splotches of colors that shone through. One of my favorite things to do was to spin that old massive metal contraption until it reached its pinnacle velocity and then let my feet dangle off the side while I clutched perilously to the metal poles that supported the animals. As I spun around until I was nauseous my feet would float effortlessly off the side, sending the powdery dirt flying into the nearby grass.

Once it had begun to spin, that carousel would continue spinning in all of its glory, whether I was on it having fun or screaming in terror. A person would not imagine the blisters that a youngster could attain from what appeared to be a harmless playground piece. However, any discomfort was worth the sensations of dizziness that accompanied the sometimes frantic spinning. The enduring nature of a carousel’s spinning tendencies share common ground with the wonderful aspect of life, still to this day controlling me, that is known as time.

Iron & Wine – Boy With A Coin

Iron & Wine’s song makes me feel that on some levels I am connected with this Boy With A Coin, and in other aspects of life I could not be farther removed from him. I have never fully experienced life like the painful one that is described as his home. However, I have known the pure joy of finding something beautiful in an awful situation.

I recall as a child collecting coins with my grandmother. We would sort through piles of old, tarnished change for hours looking for the proper year, mint and condition. I learned much about the value of small pieces of metal and to this day I begin to get a little nostalgic if I find a coin that I had been searching for and had never found in my youth. Just the other day the discovery of a 1940 Denver Mint nickel prompted me to recall where I would have placed that particular coin in my collection. Its tarnished color and time-worn face would have blended perfectly within the velvet-lined pages of the coin collecting books.

These painstakingly organized books of coins that remain stacked in my closet make a sort of miniature encyclopedia set. These books do not contain knowledge of chemistry, war or economics, but rather could somewhere contain a coin that had been a carefully thought out wish and thrown into a well, with the simple hope that Sam Beam declares incorrectly, “God left the ground to circle the earth”.

Band of Horses – The Great Salt Lake

While Band of Horses is talking about that “old watering hole” in their song, The Great Salt Lake, there arises within my mind not a bar or drinking establishment but rather one distinct scene. If a watering hole is considered some place where people congregate to enjoy what gives them life (i.e. water) then the watering hole of my youth would have to be the old baseball field that was just a couple-mile bike ride away from my house.

The nostalgia that accompanies the base ball field at Andersen Park relates to physical and emotional connections. Too many times to count did we act like little brats and scratch initials into the green wooden benches in the dugout that was constantly littered with dirt and sunflower seed shells. Like any respectable ball field’s dugout, the ceiling was lined with chewing gum of assorted flavors and colors which spelled out wonderful things like “Johnny Mo Show” and “Beans” – which were just two of the nicknames of our teammates.

And yet the ball field was nothing to be mocked, the seriousness of the games played under those blinding, humming lights led way to many pairs of once pristine baseball pants having permanent beige stains due to reckless sliding into bases. And if the pant legs just so happened to remain clean from dirt there was a strong tendency that there would be grass stains covering one, if not both, knees. As any normal child, none of us wanted to go get ice cream after the game without some stain or blemish to designate that we had not only played, we really played on that old field. And in that aspect it would appear that the childhood version of Band of Horses shared a similar experience.

Elliott Smith – Baby Britain

Though Elliott Smith wrote this song, Baby Britain, about alcohol and all that it brings about, there is one particular line that is addressed by multiple shots within the video that stands out far more than images of him playing a piano or singing about his alcoholic tendencies. When he sings the line, “London Bridge is safe and sound” it evokes within me this exact image of a rickety old bridge that spans a creek near my house.

Passing more than a couple signs that read “No Trespassing” and after a short trek through woods along a long-since used set of railroad tracks, one arrives at The Bridge. No real title serves this particular bridge better than the one which my friends and I gave it the summer we found it when we were about thirteen. No intelligent thirteen year-old would have gone to the extent that we did to find this bridge, but nevertheless once we found it, The Bridge served countless hours to pass the time.

Structural integrity is something that is rarely at the front of a young teenager’s mind, so the fact that this bridge’s large wooden planks creaked horribly under our every step was something that rarely bothered us. Rather we were concerned with throwing unlabeled bottles off into the rocky creek and perfecting our sniping with paintball guns from the wonderful vantage point the bridge afforded us into the nearby wooded areas. One would highly doubt that a depressed alcoholic intended a passing reference to pertain to such memories but nevertheless part of my Baby Britain is not the London Bridge but rather the old abandon one.

The Postal Service – Sleeping In

When Ben Gibbard of The Postal Service sings Sleeping In and states, “Don’t wake me I plan on sleeping in, don’t wake me I plan on sleeping in” and shows a young man asleep under the covers, there is only one place that I can picture myself and that is at home in my bed. Whether it is six in the morning and I have to go running or it is half past noon and I am struggling to open my eyes, my mind repeats these words to my body in an attempt to stay passive.

This song conjures up an image of my small twin pillow-top mattress that sits on abnormally high box springs. When I am in this bed, with the exception of my head, a heavy sea of pastel blankets shelter me from the outside world. Wrapping up in the many blankets that make up the tapestry of my bed consists of crawling through many unusual layers. On top is the burnt red and forest green Spanish quilt from El Paso which covers the light blue goose down blanket. These two sheets mesh together to create a warm, heavy sensation that sheds the coldest nights. Under this top layer is the denim masterpiece that my mom made for me from six-by-six inch sheets of fabric from my old jeans. To conclude the bundle of blankets are my paper-thin sky blue bed sheets.

Snuggled underneath this wonderful haven I look out and survey the world through the branches of the ash tree in the front yard and tell myself that I have no plans other than sleeping in.

Death Cab For Cutie – I Will Follow You Into The Dark

In an innocence that fits Adams’ Watership Down, Death Cab For Cutie portrays a wonderful progression of love and innocence within the music video for I Will Follow You Into The Dark with an page by page artistic rendering of bunny rabbits.

These very same creatures that represent innocence and purity to some represent only suffering to me. At a very young age my allergy problems became apparent and while I figured I could do nothing about ragweed, pollen and cottonwood, one would assume that bunnies would be very simple to avoid. However, the only babysitter that I wanted to take care of me at that point in my life at about age 6 was one who had multiple rabbits at her house. Of course, rather than avoid these creatures altogether like I should have, I would rush into the house after school and sprint up to the bedroom that house the furry little rabbits. After removing them from the intricate red, yellow and blue piping system that had developed over the years I would smother them with all the love that a first-grader could muster. This involved feeding them carrots and bits of dried fruit and playing with them and generally rubbing their soft fur all across my skin just to enjoy their fleece-like coat.

Well allergies do not develop immediately and it was only once I had become best of friends with the gray, white, brown and black bunnies that I started to welt up with hives that pockmarked my skin horribly. Unfortunately my love for these innocent and amazing creatures can no longer be shared except at a distance or within the confines of Death Cab’s imaginative video.

The White Stripes – Fell In Love With A Girl

The White Stripes present one pivotal building block in my childhood within the video for Fell In Love With A Girl and that is the Lego. Such a simple invention of colorful interlocking pieces that can build literally anything fueled my childhood hours with endless fun.

I can pointedly recall nonstop hours spent in my musty basement building masterpieces upon a heavy wooden table. By sifting through the seemingly infinite supply of large plastic bins that were full of assorted colors and sizes of pieces my best friend and neighbor could construct scaled-down villages or battleships or space stations. The little popping noise that is so distinct to a Lego will always remain embedded in my brain. The epic scenes that were created from the fickle little pieces typically involved battlefields that ranged from galactic to underwater and very commonly included typical infantry warfare.

One particular battle included many airstrips loaded with various crafts that lined the couches and floor with plastic bunkers and bases strategically hidden behind the giant blue and red pillows that lay on opposite sides of the basement. Once the epic good guy versus bad guy conflict began there was nothing along the lines of earthly forces that could have kept those Lego blocks stuck together. More satisfying than creating with Legos was having the opportunity to ransack everything that had taken hours and hours to carefully construct. Wading through the wreckage that consisted of demolished building foundations and pieces scattered everywhere became natural in the Lego cycle. Looking at The Stripes’ video easily reminds me that in basements around the nation, children of all ages enjoyed Legos much like I did.

Sigur Ros – Saeglopur

The omni-present effect of water within Sigur Ros’ music video for their song Saeglopur, which is Icelandic for lost at sea, elicits nostalgia about anything water related. Most pointedly for myself the video causes me to recall the first time that I learned how to dive at my cousin’s pool.

The cement around the pool scorched one’s feet unless proper footwear was worn and the pool itself was crystal clear so that the diamond designs of the tile were visible from the surface of the “deep end”. The infamous deep end was the owner of the diving board and the water slide although the diving board in particular was my favorite aspect of the pool. The rough white stucco-like surface of the diving board held your feet fast in place while you bobbed slowly up and down on the end of the board. The slightly worn out springs of the board creaked faintly while the diver stood there bouncing and staring into the depth of the water.

Actually diving off of the board was an experience in itself. Since the board was rather short and could only produce a modest amount of restitution due to old age, one was often forced to start their take off back off of the board, near the fence. Properly attaining a running head start would result in maximum flexion of the springs and peak altitude was gained. The effect of floating through the air was long lived if the dive was executed properly and produced the end effect of floating through the water similar to the boy within Sigur Ros’ video, safely leading one to assume that the members of Sigur Ros enjoy water as much as anyone else.

American Song...Bad?

2008-04-26T00:42:00.002-05:00

The thing that makes some songs so hard to acknowledge as absolutely horrible is when they occassionally make a decent point or two. Even beyond that, Toby Keith's song, "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue," sings of things that strike at home. What makes this song horrible is the way in which Americans are portrayed.

This could get out of hand, but I'll try to manage. Of course this song is dealing with the 9/11 attacks and the war on terrorism, these are things that have to be accepted. What is so ignorant is that while these are obvious atrocities, America does not have to respond to these ordeals by making fools out of ourselves. Granted, America could be the most powerful nation on the planet but that does not give us as Americans any right to be singing of the flag as a symbol of "putting a boot up your ass...the American way".

Rather, what is horrible about this song is that it tears down the image of the flag. No longer is the flag flying as a symbol of hope in the midst of oppression, instead the flag stands for American ignorance. By singing this song, Toby Keith has removed the flag from a position of hope and instead uses it as a means to elicit feelings from people. Not that is a bad thing at all. However, one look at some discussion about this song reveals many horrible things. As found on SongMeanings.com there are people who are viewing the flag as a reason to hate people that live a whole world away, whom they do not know and will never know personally and yet they choose to group these foreign people as "militant chinks and camel f'ers". Clearly turning an image such as the flag into a catalyst for these reactions was never the intention of Betsy Ross. It is truly horrible to see America degraded in this manner and unfortunately this situation will not be cleared up for a long time with the immense ignorance that surrounds this subject.

Current Favorite Song

2008-04-23T19:59:00.002-05:00

Within Sufjan Stevens' Album, Come on Feel the Illinoise!, Sufjan adds an interesting twist, writing all of the songs about Illinois, and events that took place there. Interestingly enough, the song that I have chosen to write about is stirringly beautiful and carries a deep story within it. Sufjan sings about his childhood and attending a summer camp at the Illinois Mississippi Palisades State Park where his brother and best friend discovered a giant wasp with which they constantly teased each other. Reminiscing about this time he recalls "There on the wall in the bedroom creeping I see a wasp with her wings outstretched".

I can recall in my childhood one very unfortunate series of events involving a number of wasps and a swingset. I was swinging alone in the back yard and a wasp nest had developed on the upper corner of the swing. In the act of swinging I shook and rattled the wasps into a frenzied rage. Before I knew what was happening I had already been stung half a dozen of times. The pain that was inflicted by those little menaces remains a vivid memory within my childhood.

Perhaps it is this kinship that I share with Sufjan regarding sheer horror of wasps and their "terrible sting" as he puts it. The size of a wasp is nothing that an adult would bother to worry about but I know from my unfortunately painful experience that I never want to face a swarming hive of wasps ever again.

This song acts as a strong device to remind me of the fear that I held for wasps for a long time. Their small black and yellow bodies stand as a sharp reminder that though they are small, they are marked as dangerous. The buzzing that accompanies flight serves furthermore to alert someone that their presence is drawing closer. It is strange to think that such a small insect can cause such great distress. The line that Sufjan uses to illustrate the response to a sting from the wasp shows exactly the same response that the seven year old version of myself elicited, "He runs washing his face in his hands".

A Road

2008-04-20T14:04:00.002-05:00

Dark, solid and unforgiving was the road that plowed through the lonely stretches of land outside of a small city hardly worth naming. Though nothing special in and of itself, this road holds far more value than what one would perceive. Although this road is no better at its job than any other road that passes any neighboring town, or any other road in the country for that matter. However, by fulfilling the simple duty of existing as a hard mixture of crude oil and gravel, called concrete asphalt.

The mere fact that the road existed served every purpose that I could ever need. It provided a stable path on which I could travel. Specifically my travel was being done by running, but that is neither here nor there. Running could be considered something of a formality. The real relationship existed between both of my feet, the soles of my shoes and the surface beneath them.

There was nothing particularly intriguing about the scenery other than that it kept changing. The one thing that remained constant was the surface between the earth and my unending steps. A dark black, the road was occasionally patched in areas where potholes, dents and other lesions must have randomly occurred, marring the otherwise untainted stretch of asphalt. The yellow line on the side of the road served as a pencil line drawn across a map and my feet never passed too far away from its constant guidance. A gritty yellow, with small chunks of rock, dirt and other miscellaneous garbage littered haphazardly over its surface stood in stark contrast with the ebony shade that it gracefully traced over like a ribbon.

And yet, all the minute details of the road itself did not divulge from its ultimate purpose. And perhaps that ultimate purpose was not much different than the purpose of the body that traversed it.

Spring Free Write

2008-04-16T14:48:00.002-05:00

While standing on the turf field with my teammates I think I was the only one who did not have full attention on our coach. Rather, I had my attention focused on the feel of the turf between my toes and relished just how good it felt to have my shoes and socks off. I am a firm believer that at all times I want to be as comfortable as possible. For me this means wearing sweatpants and basketball shorts at times when others would be dressed up. It is not that I mean to look shabby at these times, I would just rather dress in a comfortable manner. I do not intend to digress on my dressing habits, what I mean to say is that the amazing season of spring is finally upon the state of Nebraska.

Spring means all sorts of things to different people. To me it means an end of school is in sight, there are text books to be thrown into a closet and more meaningful books to be read. At one point in my life I would have jumped at an opportunity to lay in the backyard and read Harry Potter. And yes, I am still at that point in my life. Spring also means freshly cut grass, a smell that almost anyone can appreciate. The joys of spring are truly vital. Life is being renewed and the whole world can shrug off the pains of the cold winter and stretch out comfortably.

There has always been that connection between spring and myself. There is mutual comfort. It seems as though the world is glad to have gotten past that cold season and now the trees can spring new buds and shake off the last of the stubborn dead leaves. I feel that I am much the same way, I do not exactly get rid of dead foliage or spring new leaves but it feels as though I could if only my body was capable of photosynthesis.

Unfortunately no new leaves for me this year, but at least I can comfortably walk around in shorts and barefeet and enjoy the weather such as this.

Conflict of Appeals

2008-04-05T14:42:00.022-05:00

This is just one of Jim Borgman's thousands of political cartoons. A cartoonist who has been honored with many awards ranging from small contest winnings to the 1991 Pulitzer Prize. With wide-ranging talent such as his, it is unique that one particular cartoon stuck out. However, this cartoon titled "Get a Job" contains so much politcal and rhetorical value in such a small, simple drawing. Through the rhetorical strategies of analogy and compare and contrast, Borgman develops and expands upon various appeals, particularly pathos through irony.

Borgman makes a strong set of statements about the current dilemmas facing our nation and within these statements there are strong rhetorical appeals. The dialogue that is taking place between the soldier and the young graduate, "I figure it's easier to find a war than a job these days," alludes particularly to the problems of a younger generation of Americans.

It is important to understand what this problem is before continuing to address the rhetorical appeals that are being demonstrated. The spitting image of a young serviceman on the left, complete with flack jacket and gunny sack stands ready to walk to his right. On the other side of the cartoon a gown-covered graduate who most likely just walked off the stage from a state university graduation stands listening to the cadet's words. While they are both facing each other and are taking note of and paying attention to each other they are indeed prepared to walk in separate directions. These separate paths of life represent the choice that many American teen-aged youth are being forced to make. With difficulty in securing a job in the ever-changing, disordered workplace of corporate America that exists today Borgman boldly suggests that perhaps some youth are realizing that service to the nation provides a more solidified career path.

However, there are undoubtedly rhetorical appeals within this cartoon. Mr. Borgman's selection of dialogue suggests that his stance on this issue is arguing in favor of the military as an alternate career path when compared against the "norm" of getting a college degree and entering the workforce to earn one's keep. By viewing this piece of media objectively the term photo manipulation jumps out. Of course Borgman manipulated the piece of paper that he drew this on, if he did not do that we would be viewing a blank sheet. However, the point remains that the image has been modified to serve the purpose of the artist and not to directly portray what is happening in real life.

As Jim Borgman is the artist or author of this cartoon we as an audience are free to make our own decisions about his portrayal of the situation that is presented within the cartoon. Artistically, the arrangement of the images are important to the development of the cartoon. The images are placed side by side, paralleling each other and facing the audience. However, his appeals of rhetoric are made based on a combination of his thoughts and with the audience in mind.

Borgman did not invent any of the ideas within his cartoon, and as such he can't claim his creativity to be responsible for the characters. Even though he didn't directly create the army soldier or college graduate he did arrange them in a unique style to express his ideas in unique ways. For instance take the paper that each one of them is holding. At a glance they appear to be nothing more than a sheet of paper. But after thinking for a while ideas begin to develop. It would make sense that the paper the soldier holds either his enlistment paper or his deployment. Contrary to this the tassel-capped graduate is most likely holding his diploma although it could be a résumé given that the discussion topic is about jobs. This contrast and comparison is put to good use for Borgman's argument by showing that a deployment is equal to or better than a diploma. One could compare them both and say that perhaps they are both holding diplomas. While one person seeks to live a life through the economy and avoid the imperialism of war, the other desires to avoid the economic recession and partake in militaristic campaigns. Other visual comparisons lie in the similarities formulated between a graduation cap complete with tassle and a military helmet as well as graduation gown and combat fatigues. Further examination reveals that the uniforms are very important to the analogy of this cartoon.

The best rhetorical device that is used in this cartoon is an analogy. Two objects or ideas that are typically regarded as being different in many aspects are made to appear similar in an analogy. Borgman does this perfectly by making a graduate comprable to a soldier, which normally are two completely different career types that people select. However, realizing that they are both people Borgman continues to search through the characters and pull out similarities until he comes up with the notion that a soldier has a much easier time finding an outlet for his abilities than a college student. One way of writing out this analogy would be to say that a soldier is a potential worker in the same way that a college graduate is a potential worker. However, the importance of comparing the similarities goes beyond jobs. The idea that both of them have a degree, or one has a degree and another has deployment orders is an important analogy. Perhaps with the unique society that is America, an individual is free to engage in economic or militaristic careers. Depending upon the current state of affairs, either could be a viable means of living.

This analysis of rhetorical strategies leads into rhetorical appeals that Borgman utilizes within this particular work. Within this one cartoon logos, pathos, and ethos can all be found in use. These appeals all represent persuasion either separately or used in unison. "Passionate logic", "good-willed pathos" and "logical ethos" are all means to achieve various effects. Rational, emotional and authoritative statements can be derived logically from an examination of the scene presented within Borgman's cartoon. While the ethos comes from unseen elements of the cartoon, such as the fact that Borgman has drawn thousands of cartoons as an editorial columnist for almost 30 years. The appeal to pathos is made as an overarching effect with the intent of being humorous and ironical. The whole situation is ironical because for a long period of time the traditional norm has been to graduate from college and inter the workforce. Whereas entering the military to serve one's country was widespread and viewed as an honor during previous times of war, it is viewed as being a controversial topic now. Borgman utilizes the thousands of varying perspectives on this topic to make the situation in the cartoon ironic and comical instead of intensely narrow-minded and bigoted.

As far as political cartoons go they are a genre that carefully tread the line between rhetoric and propaganda. However this particular cartoon can not be accused of doing so, seeing as how there is no direct use of stacking the evidence as in propaganda. Both sides of the issue are portrayed in a manner concerning logos but neither are directly affected by pure logic. That is to say that the soldier and the student are presented in a logical ways both with the image and the text. The appeal to logos can be stretched to say that it is presented in a cause and effect manner. Borgman shows that the war has caused the effect of a higher demand of soldiers than career professionals.

The greatest appeal made is to pathos. By presenting the idea as a cartoon the audience is less likely to feel pressured by ideas or opinions. The mood is joking and friendly and within this mood, Borgman's ideas are presented clearly. While the emotions that are evoked could be strong and passionate, the typical emotions of pathos, this is not necessarily so within this image. Rather than stirring up new emotions and strengthening them Borgman plays on opinions about war, education and the job economy that people already possess.

All things considered within this cartoon, Jim Borgman shows why he is a winner of multiple awards and is one of the top political column cartoonists. His appeals are varying and clearly developed within the scope of a single frame. By playing strongly on opinions, emotions and irony, an excellent rhetorical device is created.

Barack and Some Rhetoric

2008-03-30T21:45:00.002-05:00

"President Bush made his case for war at the United Nations. Standing in front of a world that stood with us after 9/11, he said, "In the attacks on America a year ago, we saw the destructive intentions of our enemies.' Then he talked about Saddam Hussein - a man who had nothing to do with 9/11. But citing the lesson of 9/11, he and others said we had to act. "To suggest otherwise,' the President said, "is to hope against the evidence.' George Bush was wrong. The people who attacked us on 9/11 were in Afghanistan, not Iraq. Al Qaeda in Iraq didn't exist before our invasion. The case for war was built on exaggerated fears and empty evidence."

Barack Obama made this statement during a speech in Iowa on September 12, 2007. This was exactly 5 years after George Bush had declared war on Iraq. The date remains one of great importance and a common topic for pre-polling debate between candidates.

He uses narrative of what President Bush had said via a quote about the 9/11 attacks. By utilizing Bush's words about "destructive intentions of our enemies" he appeals directly to his audience's sense of pathos. Sympathy for those who lost their lives and their families is a strong tool that is being used in relation to the upcoming election. By activating an audience's pathos he can place himself on the same level of emotion as them and this is a strong connection that he now shares with potential voters. This general sense of empathy for those who suffered loss is clearly utilization of pathos.

"George Bush was wrong". This statement that Senator Obama made directly attacks President Bush. President Bush of course will not be an opponent of Obama but as often as possible Obama will point out that Bush was wrong and by stating that an ethos appeal is made. If George Bush is wrong and Obama has the ability to point out errors then Barack gains the authority over the subject. With this security of authority Obama's ethos appeals are much stronger. THis comparison-contrast shows that one is right compared to the other. Furthermore, any opponents who attempt to side with what President Bush has done are now viewed by Obama supporters as wrong simply because George Bush was wrong. This is most often viewed as a cause and effect argument. What George Bush did was wrong. Obama comes out directly to state that fact. With that cause the effect is that any supporters of Bush are now neglible.

The multiple uses of quotes are examples of what has been done in the past and Barack uses these examples to prove that what was done was incorrect and that as President, he will be able to avoid making these mistakes that he knew were wrong to be making. The classic learning by example is used here. Barack has learned from Bush's examples however good or bad they may have been. This appeal is made to his audience (potential voters) as a means of persuasion.

Again Obama uses Bush's previous decisions and points out that George Bush made a hasty generalization. By pointing this rhetoric Barack can gain power from those who are going to cast their votes in the upcoming election. The hasty generalization that Barack gives is that Bush and his administration believed that the terrorists who were responsible for the attacks against the United States were in Iraq. Rather, the true terrorists, Al Qaeda were within the borders of Afghanistan. Hindsight is twenty-twenty. However by pointing out this hasty generalization Barack makes it believe that he will not be responsible for such hasty generalizations.

Not mentioned in this post due to length and space constraints was Barack's story of a woman who told him that her nephew was deploying to Iraq and that she would not be able to breathe until he was safely returned. By beginning his speech with this story Barack utilizes a red herring. While not fully distracting his audience from what he is talking about the story does indeed detract people's attention and is an effective way of accessing their pathetic emotions via pathos rhetoric.

Rhetorically Zune

2008-03-13T23:34:00.002-05:00

There are within this Zune commercial some straightforward rhetorical strategies and there are some that I believe are alluded to and with some thought can be seen.

One strategy in this advertisement is Hasty Generalization. A potential customer/commercial viewer could be guilty of making a hasty generalization that the purchase and state of ownership of a Zune would propel them into the hip and trendy status of a strapping young man who appears on the outside to be quite "indie".

Also this commercial to some degree uses a red herring technique. The product itself is not focused on very much except for a small bookend mention at the beginning and end of the commercial. However, the brief mentions that the Zune gets displays its practical and pretty neat video capabilities even though there is not one mention as to the specifications about the product. Rather the bulk of the commercial focuses on a cool artistic sense that one would assume could come with purchasing a Zune although this is merely alluded to and never stated directly.

Again not ever mentioned is an assumed cause and effect. The purchase of a Zune will have the effect of being a young lad who galavants around in strange fashions that are intriguing. In a similar sense there is a narration that is unspoken. There is a story about this guy that is not exactly told but it is shown throughout the commercial.

One of the last strategies that I found that I can actually explain is description. The product is briefly described in that its potential uses are both shown and alluded to during the commercial. The direct descriptions of the Zune are that music can be heard (as throughout the ad) and that videos can be watched. The allusion of description is that images can also be stored on the Zune (the gallery of photos of himself). However, in order to find this out one would have to access the Zune website.

Clean Part Review

2008-03-12T21:55:00.003-05:00

"It's just a feeling that we have--the desire to go deeper." - Kate Greenstreet in Salt chapter 13 [did not originate in the pools where it was found]. This reminds me of something that Kate said during her readings. She told of how after one of her readings a girl came up and told her that she really liked her book Case Sensitive and she thanked the girl and politely continued the conversation. The girl elaborated on why she liked the book so much and said it was because the chapter titles were written in brackets. Such a sense of humor made Kate funny in a very human like way. What I mean by that is that she did not conduct herself with too much of a sense of sophistication or an artistic nature and thereby separate herself from the audience.

No, instead she easily talked with friends in the audience walked up to the podium with barefeet and appeared very at ease with herself and the audience. She presented her work with a calm attitude and a soft tone.

However, most of her material went over my head during her reading. I don't believe that I am the perfect candidate to attend poetry readings unless they hand out pamphlets with the material on it that they are planning on reading. Being a very visual rather than auditory person I am more prone to like to read stuff rather than listen to it. However, there are definately positives to attending a poetry reading over reading the author's poetry by itself.

Regarding the quote at the beginning of this post. This was one line of Kate's that stuck out to me. I believe that she said it very nicely when she said that. It is indeed very true and I'll honestly say that I can't encorporate all of the thoughts that I have about what she said in the last bit of this review. Honestly, I could write a whole other blog on this subject and maybe I'll just have to do that at some point. But truly, Kate and all the other artists/poets were spectacular and it is sad that only one other classmate got to enjoy this event.

Zune-ification

2008-03-12T13:42:00.003-05:00

Within this commercial for Zune titled, "Academy of Dreams," there are many occurences that one could describe simply as being strange. The ad starts off being completely normal with a guy on a bus listening to his music and from there takes a definite turn for the weirder side of things.

Diving into his nifty handheld, video capable music player one must wonder why he finds himself within a large stone head's ear as music notes flitter about him. Of course there must be some strong allusion to finding yourself and being able to reflect upon your true charactersitics once you own a Zune. However, this commercial really amps these ideas up as it develops. Falling into a gallery of images of himself that come to life and run past him when James Mercer politely wails "a thousand different version of yourself". As these people take seats and pile onto each other forming a giant human pyramid the young man climbs up to the apex while a light glows around him and the music climaxes.

When the instrumentals peak the man takes a leap off of the pyramid of himself and falls onto a dicer that slices himself into an image of an ice cream cone that he for some reason is watching on the same bus that he started upon.

There are many subtle parts of this commercial that have importance to potential customers that are not necessarily consciously thought of the first time when someone watches it. For instance the idea that once your purchase a Zune you will have great introspect and look inside your head and notice that you are surrounded with music. And of course there is the train of thought that you will become an independent person, fully capable of listening to hip music and looking trendy at the same time. Zune customers that embrace this should become fully conscious of their new and improved life with this new purchase.

Zaireeka Reflection

2008-03-09T18:07:00.002-05:00

The whole of what was accomplished with this album is really quite unique and fairly impressive. Such noises that are presented very randomly and yet somehow form coherent tracks is astonishing. If each four album discs were listened to separately one might say that not a whole lot was accomplished. However, with multiple tracks played at once, the true identity of the project is revealed and that is when it all comes together and the chaos and randomness becomes a carefully plotted out, structured work. Due to the varying levels of desynchronization, the interpretations garnered while listening would have to be different each time and while to some people that would be very annoying. I believe that it is really cool – and not just cool – this random assortment of sounds that experience a variety of effects just might blow someone’s mind. Instead of getting the same song for track three each time, every listen becomes a new, unique piece of artwork. This album is even more artistic than other albums because it constantly morphs into new, ever-changing pieces with each listen.
This is something quite unique and completely rare within the world of art (as far as music goes). While at times the noises were viewed as disconnected chords that rarely reverberated with much sense or seeming reason to them, the moments of peace and synchronization during the songs was almost euphoric bliss.
Many people would probably not have preferred to have been presented with music in such a manner. It’s true, the album poses many difficulties to those individuals who do not possess the patience of the four cd players to fully enjoy the complexities of the album.
However, these people never were the target audience for The Flaming Lips. But rather the audience is the people who sat on the floor in Old Main and were perfectly content with enjoying the calm as well as the disconcerted moments during the roughly 45 minutes of listening time.

Zaireeka! We've Got It!

2008-03-05T22:14:00.002-06:00

As the bassist slowly but surely begins the album, the life given is in the form a heartbeat of pulsing bass. During this continuous pulse the influx of slamming drums and strange inflections from otherworldly insturments the lyrics "Okay, I'll admit that I really don't understand" emerge as though they are voiced by an invisible heavenly choir placed directly behind the stereo systems. Wailing voices proclaim in ethereal tones the only line of track one. The clutter disappears and the simple voice and guitar strumming is all that remains. This dissolves into the rest of the cd which contains many "Oooohhhs" that seem to be squeezed from the vocalists while instruments produce a wide range of both simple and complex sounds. One moment the whole room seems to be involved in a strange conglomeration of mass confusion. However, out of all this clutter a piano, keyboard, guitar and grouping of horns seems to select what is truly important. And the next thing that occurs is a scary wail, no longer angelic or peaceful but rather quite frightening. While a piano melodically keeps time bass surges and a soft flute in the background emerges for a short period of time until another steady bass wave overtakes it along with several horns.

The cd is then broken by the roar of a jet engine which overtakes the entire room and one's senses periodically throughout track number three. There is melancholy dronings and predominately depressing piano attempts to lift the song which really rolls on with unfortunate lyrics that are expressed slowly and with intense sorrow that is revealed in deliberate and painfully uttered words. The slow pulse of the song is felt rising and more jet engines develop before being interrupted by a high pitched whining that surrounds and envelops everything.

The rest of the cd moves on with a very random and yet deliberate fashion. The songs contain strong piano and keyboards that are interrupted with intense guitar riffs and wailing waves of synthesized sounds. The cd in concluded with a very lovely starting tune and a nice bass thumping in the back. The simple presentation with concrete lyrics and no singing, but rather a deliberate talking conclude the album with a very unique manner that brings complete order out of a work of art that ranged from seeming chaos to simplicity and order. The musical conclusion of the album is dissimilar to the final lyrics in that it seems to have been reduced to chaos once again with thumping bass, thrashing drums, wailing and an intense climax of some serious dog pound barking action.

Project 1

2008-03-02T19:48:00.008-06:00

Starbuck's Coffee and Atmosphere: Each Sold Separately

As the door swings open a whole new world is revealed containing a motley arrangement of people who have one thing in common: caffeinated beverages. But not just any old type of coffee, this is Starbucks. This corporation has embodied and ruled the coffee industry for nearly four decades and for good reason. The people come here for a purpose. There are lines to be jumped into, waits to be waited, orders to be ordered and highly caffeinated steaming drinks to be consumed among a myriad of other potential activities. A gentle and continuous rustle of business is intertwined with people’s everyday lives which are given zest and politely turbocharged by their various java beverages. Patrons of this particular watering hole come for a distinct type of spirit that owes its enticing properties to foreign coffee beans and sugary whipped toppings. The whole scene teems with life of varying degrees. The business men, complete with pressed ties, glistening shoes and the occasional twinkle from a cufflink are here on a mission, laptops under continuous stress while blackberry cellular devices sing their never-ceasing ring tones ranging from chirps and beeps to Justin Timberlake. The pressure of selling who-knows-what to whomever is both escalated and made more bearable by the buzz of several once potent, now empty and lifeless cups of strong coffee. The background noise is almost indiscernible and unless carefully examined most likely would never be deciphered. The noise within the café is a conglomeration of an ambient play list of a mellow jazz fusion that slowly pulses is almost constantly interrupted by the sharp orders being yelled out, “Caramel macchiato for Susan!...Chai Tea for Amber!”. There is a constant hum which ebbs and flows depending on the mood and intensity of the occupants’ conversations. The demographic that is being either exploited or provided service to here is varied beyond what almost any other business experiences. Of course there are the business men, they are driven here in flocks to continue work or settle into the springy teal sofa configured with geometric shapes and read the paper between meetings. The population here goes so far beyond just this single example of an individual to include college students, people who are most likely these students’ professors, teen-aged individuals looking hip and independent, soccer moms with shrieking children in tow and the assortment of other individuals that are not so easily typified or described.

However, it is certain that all of these varying peoples from their own unique walks of life have ended up here for primarily one thing and have stayed for any number of other reasons. The freshly ground and brewed beans are the aforementioned sought after item and the atmosphere is so relishing and agreeable that these people decide to stay, pursuing their various activities at leisure (or fervor in some cases) within the buzzing hub of activity that is Starbucks. Of course, “There's always somewhere else to get a coffee. But this is not about just getting a coffee. It's about where you sit while you drink it” remarks Sean Nelson, a writer for various Seattle newspapers. And nowhere is this idea more embodied than within the calm lounge of Starbucks – particularly when there is available a rare opening on the smooth tan leather chair that can swallow a human being in a single sitting.

Although it would not be fair to simply call Starbucks a lounge when it is clearly so much more than that. Customers’ varying motives for choosing this particular java joint range from the ever-enjoyable coffee to the contagious atmosphere and include any number of reasons in between. One of the reasons as to why Starbucks has attained such a strong foothold within a relatively simple market that they now dominate is the atmosphere that they sell. Where else are you going to find a relatively active public place at 10 PM on a Thursday night where it is possible to have a meeting or do homework? Of course the library is always an option but if students wanted to study in a stale room with humming florescent lights full of dead people I’m sure they would find their way into a morgue in favor of a library. Starbucks has aided in the perpetuation of the twenty four hour lifestyle that arose some time within the past decade. Very rarely during the 50s would someone see a sign proclaiming “All-Night” or “Open 24 Hours”. The rapid advances and diffusion of technology have propelled our society into one that deems it necessary to seize all twenty four hours given to us in a single day and make the most of them. As such late night coffee binges readily available at the local Starbucks are common in aiding one’s endeavor to remain awake into the wee hours of the morning to accomplish their various activities.

Upon visiting a Starbucks lounge just past nine it was startling to see and hear so many people inside one place. The transition from cold, dry air outside to the warm and almost humid atmosphere within was shocking and profound. Immediately one knows that they have entered into the private Starbucks world that sometimes remains hidden from the rest of society. Indeed, this little latte shop that has been so profoundly affected by the surge of capitalism and has been thrust into such a mainstream market remains a little niche of its own in a sense. Many people are unaware of the self contained entity that exists within these stores at the varying times. Everyone can advise you to go to Starbucks to get your morning joe or some caffeine to tide you through a rough afternoon. But not everyone is able to remark upon the subtleties of the Starbucks culture. By this I am referring to the language that Starbucks uses in order to retain the Italian espresso roots of its business. Ask the layman about a “venti”, “cappuccino” or “latte” and he may give you an answer but it is quite possibly incorrect. Venti is Italian for twenty…as in the ounces of your drink. Cappuccinos are not what are sold in gas stations for 99 cents. Rather, cappuccinos are espresso based drinks topped with steamed milk and dense foam. Now a latte retains many aspects of a cappuccino yet has important differences. A latte contains more milk and less foam than its super caffeinated brother and as such packs less punch but still retains a cosmic amount of flavor. And this is what you smell as you walk into a Starbucks that smells very pleasant and seems to wash all over your body. Aside from the distinct aroma of endless combinations of vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, Valencia, crème, toffee nut, almond, mint, raspberry and an array of seasonal flavors the sense of smell is immediately assaulted with tantalizing side dishes that hide behind the shiny glass counter case. Behind the gleaming case lie various muffins, scones, loaves, sweet rolls, cakes, pies, nut breads and many are coated with sugar crystals that make them look as though they have fallen through heavenly clouds made of pure sweetness. The multitude of olfactory sensations that have not been properly exercised with various smells lying dormant until one enters a Starbucks will be assaulted once a person enters a few foot range of the door and upon opening the door the full forced assault on the nose commences.

Everything about Starbucks radiates a complex form of sophistication from the elegant lighting that seems to exude enough light to suffice although the lights themselves hardly perform admirably. The earth tones seem to blend from tiled floor to seat cushions and then slide onto the walls and picture frames. Everything is a light form of a beige or a earthen toned russet. The sophistication lies in the subtleties of design, planning and business procedures. Such as my good friend Maggie Knight pointed out to me in a random meeting at a Starbucks, “Starbucks offers a plethora of sizes, flavors and temperatures of drinks as well as seating. Seats range from couples to quartets and include seats for the solitary people…loners. They try to suck you in with their crafty little mugs and hip drinks. Also, they have the real stirring sticks, not the dinky little things.” As all these little intricacies are revealed certain aspects regarding the functioning of the business come to light and it is more and more clearly seen as to why Starbucks has gained such momentous popularity since its opening in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1971. The corporation has expanded to almost 16,000 stores worldwide with thousands of different drink combinations…most of which are rumored to be quite tasty although the only one that this author can provide detail about is the cinnamon dolce latte. With the warm zest of coffee and the tongue tantalizing sugary aftertaste this drink is one to be enjoyed behind the door in a local Starbucks completely immersed in the aforementioned atmosphere.

Diagram Response

2008-02-25T00:51:00.001-06:00

This diagram shows to anyone who may be unlearned in the areas of anatomy and science, a detailed analysis and composition of the human skeletal systems. However, this particular diagram cannot be found within the confines of any doctor's medical text book. As such, I believe that some explaining is in order to bring anybody unfamiliar with scientific lingo. Starting with the top section of the human form is the "air-head" which is more commonly referred to as the cranium. However there is no need for any med school wanna-be's to explain this one. Any college student is perfectly capable of explaining the difference between someone with a cranium and an individual with an air-head. The term defines a person who typically has a much, much harder time understanding difficult (or simple) concepts. A standard test designed to determine if an individual has been birthed with a air-head is the IQ test. If one's intelligence quotient falls below 50 they are almost always a person with an air-head.

Ignorance is located at the base of the brain and is typically found in normal levels in 95 percent of the population. Monks and pacifists tend to have lower levels while males watching sports and females under the influence of PMS have higher levels of ignorance.

The tat-bone is unnecessary and is typically used by idiots who feel the need to impress anybody with a pair of eyes by means of a tattoo placed on the tat-bone (located in the medial region of the lower shoulder).

Skipping several anatomical features that are fairly tame and unnecessary (like you appendix) the next structure that is noticed is the sex bone. For any number of descriptions about this particular body part can be found at your own discretion using the following online tool. (Be warned, any and all search results do not necessarily retain any legal or ethical affiliation with this post!)

The final body part that will be discussed is the infamous twinkle toes. Not very many humans are gifted with twinkle toes and those that are typically are the types of individuals that make history. Twinkle toes are not very well documented within the scientific world although in the media twinke toes are ocassionally prevalent and always entertaining. Two examples of twinkle toes may be found here. And here.

Desert Island Top 5

2008-02-20T19:21:00.002-06:00

1.Aha Shake Heartbreak-Kings of Leon $7.97

2.Funeral-Arcade Fire $11.97

3.Californication-Red Hot Chili Peppers $13.99

4.Our Endless Numbered Days-Iron & Wine $11.97

5.Oh, Inverted World-The Shins $11.97

I would like to give credit where credit is due and thank "The Office" for this game. If it were not for the writers then I would not have had hours of wracking my brain playing this game constantly debating with my friends about which bands would or would not make the cut.

However, I feel that after quite a long affair that I have made out of this, I finally have a list that I would most likely be content with should I end up shipwrecked on a desert island with only these albums. I also need to point out that this list is in no particular order. Rather, this is just the order that I ended up typing these bands.

These bands constitute a good Desert Island Top 5 because of their diversity and the one thing that they all have in common: they are excellent bands with fantastic work. Being stuck on a desert island would be quite unfortunate and would be made infinitely worse if you had no music but it would be almost just as band if you were stuck there with just a single album to listen to. As such, it is necessary to have diverse bands whose albums are true works of art, not just the same song every track.

I felt it quite necessary to include some of the early Red Hot Chili Peppers work because they are a band that has stood the test of time, groupies, and drugs. Not that the last two are terrible, but the fact that they have existed for so long and have continuously made good music is important. Californication is one of America's most important albums in my opinion because it talks so much about our culture. Furthermore, RHCP simply rock and as such they are on anyone's top 5 as long as that person truly enjoys unique rock and roll.

I already posted about Arcade Fire, and their album Funeral would make my top 5 because of their diverse sounds and astounding lyrics.

If anybody is a true rock and roll fan then Kings of Leon are essential on a deserted island. From amazing guitar riffs to intense jamming solos intertwined with Caleb Followill's unique verses, Kings of Leon would never cease to please someone trapped on a desert island.

I feel it is necessary to say that I actually did like The Shins when they were truly indie music and were not the band that everyone thought of when the word indie started being thrown around. As such, it is pertinent that their first album, and in my opinion possibly their best, be placed on the list. James Mercer's strange vocal stylings combined with some truly interesting song writing and pop folk/artsy sounds promise to remain fresh while stranded.

And finally I chose Iron & Wine for their soft acoustics and Sam Beam's soothing voice. Although this album has one of the saddest songs I've ever heard (Naked as We Came) it also has some of the best songs that owe their strength to their simplicity. With only a swooning voice and a plucking guitar, the best tracks are the ones that are not overdone in the least.

Possible Observation Related Post

2008-02-13T22:22:00.002-06:00

As a native of Omaha, Nebraska I have experienced some taste of city life. But not really that kind of city life that is associated with the term city life. Rather, I have experienced a mere taste of the "big city life" by living for many years in Millard, a suburb of the moderately sized city of Omaha.
However I do have to say that my fascination lies equally divided between city and rural lifestyles. I do see pros and cons of both and am glad to have been able to experience the two. There is a certain fascination regarding the hustle and bustle of the big city that seems to have developed somewhere around the area of industrialization. Although cramped working class workers living in cheap tenement housing is not my idea of an interesting or fun time. Rather, I find amusing the hustle and bustle of the big city that developed during such a time. The never-ending cycle of life has proved both fascinating and addicting. Due to a now developed twenty-four hour society that we live in it is possible to find anything to do at all hours imaginable.
Unfortunately Lincoln and Omaha do not have such a deeply developed lifestyle such as the much larger and livelier.
And now to get to the point. An all night society is very enjoyable. I personally find great pleasure in walking down the streets of Omaha (downtown in the safe areas-sometimes unsafe) and Millard late at night and finding a myriad of things that are completely different than they are during the day. Furthermore I believe that while I find late night Omaha rather interesting I would be far more amused with what a larger city has to offer. Wandering streets without a purpose or destination, the journey would be all that I desire.

Of course this is just an artist's interpretation of what an awesome semi-unreal night life scene could become. Although who can say what people can or can't do now with technology. Perhaps such an experience is not entirely uncommon nowadays. Or maybe you just need to become an insomniac to truly experience this life.

Essay from Older Post

2008-02-13T21:24:00.002-06:00

"Although word “novel” does not actually spring great words and hopes into my head, but it does bring a sense of travel and imagination with it."
This was said by Meghan Koehn in her blog this previous semester.
As a child in my reading experience I would have been terrified of a novel, particularly those novels that I would find intriguing at this point in my life. The sheer size and volume of a novel would do exactly as Meghan said "not actually spring great words and hopes into my head". I would have found a novel to be something of a chore to read due to my inability to comprehend the work that was put into such a piece. Also I would not be able to view it as a work of art like I now know novels to be. I firmly agree with Meghan and would say that she said it truly eloqently describing a novel as containing "a sense of travel and imagination". This seems to true when I think about it even more.
First off it would be necessary to say that when I first hear the world novel that I think of "The Lord of the Rings". Although when most people talk of the astounding nature of this trilogy they refer to the movies instead of the novels. Unfortunately that is what America and the world has come to with technology available to us. Perhaps the novel as we know it will someday be lost or regarded as we currently think of heiroglyhpics that are embedded upon pyramid walls.
However, the epic nature of the novel has fortunately not yet been dismantled by our society and as such people are free to enjoy the infinite possibilies of journey within a novel. Furthermore one can now utilize technology (which will eventually destroy the novel in my opinion) to enjoy novels.
I would like to conclude this post with an excerpt from the movie version of "The Lord of the Rings" and hopefully people will take my word and see that if the movie was good that the novel version is infinitely more incredible.

Video Test Post

2008-02-07T14:09:00.001-06:00

Video: No Cars Go by Arcade Fire

This is the second to last song off of Arcade Fire's Album Neon Bible and if there is one thing that I enjoy about Arcade Fire it is their ability to really just make you feel and think at the same time. Their music woos and soothes at the same time combining in a seemingly effortless manner to create an abstract synthesis of truly amazing caliber. Their band truly lacks nothing combining anywhere from seven to thirteen musician and a strange variety of instrumentation. Including the "normal instruments" such as guitar and drums they also incorporate many stringed instruments and an accordian as well as soaring choir-like vocals.

As their music rises and peaks in complete harmony it seems to bring out feelings that you may have never thought yourself capable of experiencing. With sometimes haunting organs in the background Arcade Fire is quite proficient in changing the tone and overall mood of their music in an instant which is something that is felt almost immediately once one slips their head phones on and dives into the music. Arcade Fire would be one of those bands that cannot be fully explained even after having listened to their entire album. Each time I listen to their music something new jumps out at me that I had not noticed before. And each time I listen to their music I truly feel something unique and I am glad that I am not just listening to another rap song.

The last and perhaps most important thing about Arcade Fire is the diversity of their lyrics. Singing about all manners of subjects ranging from dream worlds to strange songs about politics mixed with religion. (I would love a complete explanation for Antichrist Television Blues) Arcade Fire manages to include strikingly beautiful lyrics with even more astounding music. Without a doubt Arcade Fire should be among any music lover's top 10 bands.

As an edit to this post I would like to apologize for originally putting up the video of Rebellion(lies)...sorry for the confusion. Sorry for any possible disrespect for Arcade Fire, it was not intended, human nature is to err.

Essay on an essay quote

2008-02-06T21:24:00.000-06:00

"If someone writes something though and they edit and revise their paper it does not matter how many times they do it because if they do not care about the paper than the chances of the writing being successful is slim to none." -Drew Placek

I agree with Drew here and I'll say that a person can make endless changes to their essay from start to finish and although each revision is important...the revisions are only important if you truly care about the changes that you are making. There seems to be no point to revise an essay about which one has nothing invested. If you were to sit there in front of the computer with a blank stare on your face showing that you have no emotion whatsoever regarding what you are typing (or revising) then there is perhaps no greater waste of your time. I believe that pretending to invest yourself into something that you have no care for the outcome is one of the greatest wastes of a person's time that they can achieve. Therefore, careful thought and deliberation must be put forth into everything that we do, and everything would include writing an essay for their English 001 class. A successful writing is something to be considered. What exactly makes writing successful? Is it that the person who reads it learns something or comes to a conclusion that they would have previously been unable to attain? Or perhaps it is that the author learns something new about themself that would have been unattainable had they not written their essay. In either case, a successful writing most likely requires careful thought and consideration and I believe a true revision is one of the easiest ways to attain both of those things.

Perhaps one method of revision could be through monk-like devotion to the revisions. Now it must be known that I am not attempting to advertise any sort of religion or philosophy upon to potential readers. Rather I am merely stating that similar to the ways in which monks attain their reputations (through diligence, repetition of traditions, and above all discipline) we, as writers, could attain a reputation for spectacular writing due to our unrelenting discipline to revision.

Quotation From Atwan02

2008-01-31T14:14:00.000-06:00

"The essayist does what we do with our lives; the essayist thinks about actual things. He can make sense of them analytically or artistically. In either case he renders the real world coherent and meaningful, even if only bits of it, and even if that coherence and meaning reside only inside small texts." -Annie Dillard

An essay seems to be a different and uncommon medium of art. Obvious examples of art to the everyday person off the street would be something along the lines of a painting, sculpture, or drawing. But what many people don’t realize is the limitless nature of art. Art can be means of letting one’s soul shine through in a new and unique way. Not confined to just what you find in a museum I believe that art can be found in songs, writing and many everyday situations. While an essay would seem to be a truly different manner of expressing yourself I believe in what Annie Dillard says about essays. There is of course the analytical, scholarly and academic side of essays which from early on in the educational process students are forced to partake in. However, the artistic capabilities of an essay are broad and truly as limitless as any other form of art.

Just as a song or painting are capable of evoking feelings an essay possesses the same ability. Words can be strung together is fantastical ways to create something awe-inspiring. Just as a guitar can play any limitless number of combinations of notes an essay may be composed of any combination of words that can be just as beautiful as musical instruments. Along the same lines a painting that contains a myriad of colors may be described in a way that is just as beautiful as looking at the actual canvas.

Essays, in my opinion, are a truly unique and very workable means of art. What is truly amazing about the essay is that though it possesses such artistic possibilities it is also one of the most trusted and reliable methods of presenting information within the world of academia. The multiplicity of its nature adds further to its intrigue and I am almost certain that the potential of the essay remains vastly untapped.

Test Post

2008-01-24T14:28:00.000-06:00

Here is a link to our course's Main Page.