Sunday, April 7, 2013
Assignment 9
I intend to relate to an audience of all ages, all professions, and all generations so that my interpretation is understandable to everyone-all pleasing. That way I can appeal to most and when other writers are writing toward a specific audience, I have the advantage to be writing to a larger crowd. I try to be unique and write general applications yet speak to everyone individually. I will revise my writing by reading other drafts, figure out what I like about them, find out why I like what I like, and make that a priority in my own paper. If it stood out to me, it has a chance of standing out to others
Assignment 10
Just some questions about Stein's essay...
- With so many examples to choose from, how did Stein decide to choose from The Terminator, The Wizard Of Oz, Blade Runner, with there being so many movies made for the era (Feminist movement, technology turn, etc..)
Stein's essay discusses the rise of Macintosh way back in the 80's and how it overturned IBM, the best computer system that was out at the time. She talks about how Mac started at the bottom with its bulky size let alone the expense, and finally rose to the top with its more modern slick look and the ability to use it as a personal computer. Back when IBM was more popular, users were just proud to have them around at work because at the time, personal computers were not in mind. Now as time has evolved, so has technology. Stein expresses how the 1984 Macintosh commercial is a representation of revolution for technology as well as women; ironically the Feminist Movement was going on at the same time. This was all symbolized in one commercial.
My understanding of the text was that Stein wrote this essay to readdress a commercial that was seen by most of America, but not recognized for what it was. Based on her detailed description with examples from related movies included, she must have assumed that viewers had seen the commercial for just that- a commercial. Instead, she allows us to see all the many aspects of what she had which was not just a random advertisement, but a new robot that would change our lives forever.
My understanding of the text was that Stein wrote this essay to readdress a commercial that was seen by most of America, but not recognized for what it was. Based on her detailed description with examples from related movies included, she must have assumed that viewers had seen the commercial for just that- a commercial. Instead, she allows us to see all the many aspects of what she had which was not just a random advertisement, but a new robot that would change our lives forever.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Assignement 11
3.
4. If you don't include your audience by stepping on the outside to look inward at your writing as if you were readung someone else's writing, you are not making your paper relatable and you have already lost a great value of your paper by excluding that perspective importance. If you rant in your paper randomly without establishing the purpose right away, you leave the reader lost about what they are actually suppose to feel/seek out while reading. Discussing a broad topic is more important than one may think. If you assume too much instead of using examples of worldwide common situations, once again, you leave readers lost [Don't want to be too common, though]. You cannot just act the part, you have to be the part. That means you can't sound like you know what you're talking about by using false facts and big words. Do some research on the time period you are writing about to back up actual facts. Is the piece of writing appealing to all cultures, professions, ages, and races? Are considering more than just your outlook? Is the writing too dramatic, too personal, not personal enough? Although it is hard to find a medium, it must be found! And finally, what is going on in the world now that was also happening at the time period your writing is about?
- What does the composer assume the audience knows or believes?
- Is the composer respectful of the audience, treating them as intelligent, thoughtful people?
- Why might the composer start with particular exampes or evidence? To what will these draw the audience's attention?
4. If you don't include your audience by stepping on the outside to look inward at your writing as if you were readung someone else's writing, you are not making your paper relatable and you have already lost a great value of your paper by excluding that perspective importance. If you rant in your paper randomly without establishing the purpose right away, you leave the reader lost about what they are actually suppose to feel/seek out while reading. Discussing a broad topic is more important than one may think. If you assume too much instead of using examples of worldwide common situations, once again, you leave readers lost [Don't want to be too common, though]. You cannot just act the part, you have to be the part. That means you can't sound like you know what you're talking about by using false facts and big words. Do some research on the time period you are writing about to back up actual facts. Is the piece of writing appealing to all cultures, professions, ages, and races? Are considering more than just your outlook? Is the writing too dramatic, too personal, not personal enough? Although it is hard to find a medium, it must be found! And finally, what is going on in the world now that was also happening at the time period your writing is about?
[Group Work] Reflection
2. During group work, we all worked together as a group of three. The best thing about group work is that there are more opinions combined. Every individual has their own mindset and when you exchange your own unique thoughts with those of someone else, it becomes its own idea that we as a group have now created. The most difficult thing about group work is honest opinions. When asked to guve input, you will always have that group member who is too honest and too narrow minded that their opinion is dominant rather than equal in a group project. On another polar extreme, you have the group's mouse that does have much of any influence on the group's work therefore their opinion is not reflected within the activity.
3. The group that had Theoretical Framework did a wonderful job on their question. Their question is a perfect representation of what Stein may have meant when she said "right technology" and "wrong technology". The turn of Apple could have been a brainwashing act of techno-geeks that produce robotic electronic equipment in order to represent the power of submission of human beings OR it could have been a savior from old clunky equipment that was keeping the world stuck in the past in dire need for a refresher. This also happens to be throughout the Feminist Movement time period which could mean freedom for women.
I also admired the one-pager of the Conclusion group because it is extremely relevant. Stein did not really represent her thought on the entire "technology revolution". Rather, she described in detail all of the many reasons that this happened in the first place. One thing that does reflect is her opinion of Steve Jobs. She speaks about him as if he was an old classmate that she never too much cared for. Now he is one of the wealthiest (is that a word) dead men still living (if you catch my drift). I found it interesting that they put the word salvation in red because the Salvation Army is plastered in red on all of their buildings. Maybe because red is such a rebellious color, very vibrant and alive.
4. One another aspect that I will have to consider that I had not before I read some else's one-pager is what exactly is Stein's outlook on this entire article that she wrote?
5.The mid 70's through the end of the 80's was clearly a memorable time period for Sarah Stein. Not only she know so much about the transition of IBM to Apple and what it took to get there, she also seeks out to let readers know why this technological transition is so important to us still today.
3. The group that had Theoretical Framework did a wonderful job on their question. Their question is a perfect representation of what Stein may have meant when she said "right technology" and "wrong technology". The turn of Apple could have been a brainwashing act of techno-geeks that produce robotic electronic equipment in order to represent the power of submission of human beings OR it could have been a savior from old clunky equipment that was keeping the world stuck in the past in dire need for a refresher. This also happens to be throughout the Feminist Movement time period which could mean freedom for women.
I also admired the one-pager of the Conclusion group because it is extremely relevant. Stein did not really represent her thought on the entire "technology revolution". Rather, she described in detail all of the many reasons that this happened in the first place. One thing that does reflect is her opinion of Steve Jobs. She speaks about him as if he was an old classmate that she never too much cared for. Now he is one of the wealthiest (is that a word) dead men still living (if you catch my drift). I found it interesting that they put the word salvation in red because the Salvation Army is plastered in red on all of their buildings. Maybe because red is such a rebellious color, very vibrant and alive.
4. One another aspect that I will have to consider that I had not before I read some else's one-pager is what exactly is Stein's outlook on this entire article that she wrote?
5.The mid 70's through the end of the 80's was clearly a memorable time period for Sarah Stein. Not only she know so much about the transition of IBM to Apple and what it took to get there, she also seeks out to let readers know why this technological transition is so important to us still today.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Assignment 8
I was glad to find that many of my classmates had a variety of their understanding of "Lifelike." It definitely adds more controversy to class discussions that makes for better papers after hearing so many different takes on what others may have found. There were some who kept their same opinions as before reading the article, which is that taxidermy fills them with disgust. Then there were some students like me who expected the text to be weird once we discovered it would be about taxidermy, then after reading, recognized it as the profession that it is. After reading up on several perspectives, I will incorporate all of these ideas along with the "golden 6" that we use in class.
In my first essay, I made my audience generally specific meaning I was specific to my audience, yet it was pertinent to the human race in general because everyone finds something in someone else that they may not like whether they know the people or not. My essays are different from my class in that they are not cliche and start off with intro and conclusion templates. They are also always filled with emotion from my personal feeling after reading. With this type of essay, it is more controversial because yes everyone is judgmental at some point like in "Standing By" but with taxidermy, there are many animal lovers who simply can't relate to it no matter what. The role for my essay about "Lifelike" is to get animal lovers to think like those who are willing to compromise with the idea of taxidermy. Although taxidermy may not be widely accepted, there will still be taxidermist. It would be hypocritical to wish for respect of animals if you cannot even respect another human being by demeaning what they consider a profession.
In my first essay, I made my audience generally specific meaning I was specific to my audience, yet it was pertinent to the human race in general because everyone finds something in someone else that they may not like whether they know the people or not. My essays are different from my class in that they are not cliche and start off with intro and conclusion templates. They are also always filled with emotion from my personal feeling after reading. With this type of essay, it is more controversial because yes everyone is judgmental at some point like in "Standing By" but with taxidermy, there are many animal lovers who simply can't relate to it no matter what. The role for my essay about "Lifelike" is to get animal lovers to think like those who are willing to compromise with the idea of taxidermy. Although taxidermy may not be widely accepted, there will still be taxidermist. It would be hypocritical to wish for respect of animals if you cannot even respect another human being by demeaning what they consider a profession.
Assignment 7
1.) Why do you think Orlean references the Bible at the end of the story, or at all?
2.) Why do you think Orlean was so graphic in her writing?
1.) The very last sentence of "Likelike" is really separated from the rest of the text. "Otherwise, the room was Biblically tranquil, the lion at last lying down with the Corsican lamb, the family of jackdaws in everlasting, unrequited pursuit of a big green beetle, and the stillborn Bengal-tiger cub magically revived, its face in an eternal snarl, alive-looking although it had never lived." Susan Orlean talks about the slaughter of animals throughout the entire text, then refers to the Bible suddenly. This was a great way to make sure the reader was paying attention from the beginning to the very end. One will wonder 'how can you make a biblical reference about using deceased animals as an art form?' Orlean does a good job of breaking down how taxidermists justify it.
2.) Orlean was very straight forward about how serious taxidermy is to those who are involved and even got down to the fine details of making dead animals look real; from their heads, and for those who did full bodies, down to their toenails. A couple of taxidermists literally had a conversation about the toenails on an animal: "What did you do for toenails, Ken?" someone asked.
"I left the black bear's toenails in," he said. "They looked pretty good."
Someone like myself who is far from an expert on taxidermy would that it simply consists of stuffing a dead animal. In reality, they order parts, bleach them, mix them to create other species and so on. Orlean did a wonderful job of getting into great detail about how much work is put into the profession, no holds barred.
2.) Why do you think Orlean was so graphic in her writing?
1.) The very last sentence of "Likelike" is really separated from the rest of the text. "Otherwise, the room was Biblically tranquil, the lion at last lying down with the Corsican lamb, the family of jackdaws in everlasting, unrequited pursuit of a big green beetle, and the stillborn Bengal-tiger cub magically revived, its face in an eternal snarl, alive-looking although it had never lived." Susan Orlean talks about the slaughter of animals throughout the entire text, then refers to the Bible suddenly. This was a great way to make sure the reader was paying attention from the beginning to the very end. One will wonder 'how can you make a biblical reference about using deceased animals as an art form?' Orlean does a good job of breaking down how taxidermists justify it.
2.) Orlean was very straight forward about how serious taxidermy is to those who are involved and even got down to the fine details of making dead animals look real; from their heads, and for those who did full bodies, down to their toenails. A couple of taxidermists literally had a conversation about the toenails on an animal: "What did you do for toenails, Ken?" someone asked.
"I left the black bear's toenails in," he said. "They looked pretty good."
Someone like myself who is far from an expert on taxidermy would that it simply consists of stuffing a dead animal. In reality, they order parts, bleach them, mix them to create other species and so on. Orlean did a wonderful job of getting into great detail about how much work is put into the profession, no holds barred.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Assignment 6: Choices
"As soon as the 2003 World Taxidermy Championships opened, the heads came rolling in the door."
Susan Orlean wrote "Lifelike", an article about her interpretation on how taxidermists perceive their job. Her readers should appreciate the way she introduces the article as I did because it doesn't get up slow; it gets straight to what the entire article will be about. It seems that Orlean does so to snag the readers' attention immediately rather than allowing them to read a boring introduction that in turn gives readers more of a reason to not want to continue reading. The introducing is so important because that determines the rest of a read. If it does not reflect what the rest of the writing will be about, and very quickly, readers are already confused at the start which leads to further frustration as the reading continues.
Throughout the article, Orlean uses an inconsistency of paragraph styles which adds interest to the reader's eyes. The very first paragraph seems to be the perfect size-not too long, not too short. After that, there is another good sized paragraph, then a few quotes listed in separated lines followed by heftier paragraphs. This way, the reader does not get overwhelmed with several large paragraphs back to back. Instead they are surprised with quotes here and there singled out to stand out in their minds as to what they could mean to the people saying them, in this case, taxidermy. This was a good writerly choice Orlean used rather than allowing important quotes to get lost in the more beefy paragraphs:
"Acetone rubbed on a squirrel tail will fluff it right back up."
"My feeling is that it's quite tough to do a good tongue."
"The toes on a real competitive piece are very important. I think Bondo works nicely, and so does Super Glue."
"I knew a fellow with cattle, and I told him,'If you ever have one stillborn, I'd really like to have it.' I thought it would make a really nice mount."
Susan Orlean wrote "Lifelike", an article about her interpretation on how taxidermists perceive their job. Her readers should appreciate the way she introduces the article as I did because it doesn't get up slow; it gets straight to what the entire article will be about. It seems that Orlean does so to snag the readers' attention immediately rather than allowing them to read a boring introduction that in turn gives readers more of a reason to not want to continue reading. The introducing is so important because that determines the rest of a read. If it does not reflect what the rest of the writing will be about, and very quickly, readers are already confused at the start which leads to further frustration as the reading continues.
Throughout the article, Orlean uses an inconsistency of paragraph styles which adds interest to the reader's eyes. The very first paragraph seems to be the perfect size-not too long, not too short. After that, there is another good sized paragraph, then a few quotes listed in separated lines followed by heftier paragraphs. This way, the reader does not get overwhelmed with several large paragraphs back to back. Instead they are surprised with quotes here and there singled out to stand out in their minds as to what they could mean to the people saying them, in this case, taxidermy. This was a good writerly choice Orlean used rather than allowing important quotes to get lost in the more beefy paragraphs:
"Acetone rubbed on a squirrel tail will fluff it right back up."
"My feeling is that it's quite tough to do a good tongue."
"The toes on a real competitive piece are very important. I think Bondo works nicely, and so does Super Glue."
"I knew a fellow with cattle, and I told him,'If you ever have one stillborn, I'd really like to have it.' I thought it would make a really nice mount."
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Assignment 6
Orlean's tone is very understanding and almost sympathetic. This tone develops throughout the course of the article because in the beginning, she seemed more unsure about taxidermy by saying: "The championships were held in April at the Springfield, Illinois, Crowne Plaza hotel, the sort of nicely appointed place that seems more suited to regional sales conferences and rehearsal dinners than to having wolves in the corridors and people crossing the lobby shouting, "Heads up! Buffalo coming through!"
Then towards the end, after having seen so many different pieces and hearing so many stories, her idea about the competition being at the same Crowne Plaza hotel shows more clearly: "The mere experience of waiting for the elevator -- knowing that the doors would peel back to reveal maybe a man and a moose, or a bush pig, or a cougar -- was much more exciting than the usual elevator wait in the usual Crowne Plaza hotel"
Seems to be a more positive response than before, aye?
Orlean seems to picture her readers as people who aren't exactly opposed to taxidermy, but naturally find it morbid; for God sakes it involves composing art of dead animals. But she lets us know: "To be good at taxidermy, you have to be good at sewing, sculpting, painting, and hairdressing, and mostly you have to be a little bit of a zoology nerd."
Now this is different from just saying "you have to be a zoologist" because the term "nerd" seems to be universal. In addition, "nerd" adds emphasis because not only are you intensely studying animals (zoology), you are obsessed with it. You adore it; you have a passion for memorizing the name of each tooth in a panda's mouth (do panda's even have teeth?)
This article enabled Orlean to express the amount of time and detail taxidermists put in to the profession. It may be more difficult for her to comprehend/ place detailed facts behind reasons accountants love their job.
Then towards the end, after having seen so many different pieces and hearing so many stories, her idea about the competition being at the same Crowne Plaza hotel shows more clearly: "The mere experience of waiting for the elevator -- knowing that the doors would peel back to reveal maybe a man and a moose, or a bush pig, or a cougar -- was much more exciting than the usual elevator wait in the usual Crowne Plaza hotel"
Seems to be a more positive response than before, aye?
Orlean seems to picture her readers as people who aren't exactly opposed to taxidermy, but naturally find it morbid; for God sakes it involves composing art of dead animals. But she lets us know: "To be good at taxidermy, you have to be good at sewing, sculpting, painting, and hairdressing, and mostly you have to be a little bit of a zoology nerd."
Now this is different from just saying "you have to be a zoologist" because the term "nerd" seems to be universal. In addition, "nerd" adds emphasis because not only are you intensely studying animals (zoology), you are obsessed with it. You adore it; you have a passion for memorizing the name of each tooth in a panda's mouth (do panda's even have teeth?)
This article enabled Orlean to express the amount of time and detail taxidermists put in to the profession. It may be more difficult for her to comprehend/ place detailed facts behind reasons accountants love their job.
Assignment 5
It seems like Orlean wrote this article to enlighten those of us who are so opposed to taxidermy. Although it may never get the attention of an all-natural animal lover, for someone that at least eats meat or perhaps just willing to read, it softens up and justify, if you will, what taxidermists do. She describes the extent of the role, stating that people at this competition often make a living of taxidermy which surprised me. I would never think that the moose head over my great uncle's fireplace is what provided him with the ability to put food on his table. Actually, the only way I would think that a moose head could provide dinner is if it was cooked, but that was before I read "Lifelike".
Orlean made the topic of "Lifelike" a taxidermist's job description and the seriousness of being involved in taxidermy- being a "zoology nerd", being sure that every detail is on point, staying up-to-date on the "new style of eyeballs" available this year. Through Orlean's topic, the enhanced detail of her article revealed her purpose, which was to create enough imagery through written text to make the audience go "hmm I never knew taxidermy was really that serious".
Reading "Lifelike" brought me under the impression that Orlean wanted readers to take a step back from rude comments about others' interest in taxidermy and actually visualize a day in the life of it. This is someone's "nursing degree"; by giving a patient a dose of too much anesthesia, they could die. The point is no matter the profession, precision is key, and I mean VERY key when it comes to taxidermy. Orlean lets readers know once again by conversation she hears: "The taxidermists take the competition very seriously. During the time I was in Springfield, I heard conversations analyzing such arcane subjects as exactly how much a javelina's snout wrinkles when it snarls and which molars deer use to chew acorns as opposed to which ones they use to chew leaves. This is important because the ultimate goal of a taxidermist is to make the animal look exactly as if it had never died, as if it were still in the middle of doing ordinary animal things like plucking berries off a bush or taking a nap."
1. Based on "Lifelike", did it change your thoughts on what taxidermy really means to some?
2. Did reading this make you want to dig deeper into the life of a taxidermist to see if the detail listed in the article was true?
Orlean made the topic of "Lifelike" a taxidermist's job description and the seriousness of being involved in taxidermy- being a "zoology nerd", being sure that every detail is on point, staying up-to-date on the "new style of eyeballs" available this year. Through Orlean's topic, the enhanced detail of her article revealed her purpose, which was to create enough imagery through written text to make the audience go "hmm I never knew taxidermy was really that serious".
Reading "Lifelike" brought me under the impression that Orlean wanted readers to take a step back from rude comments about others' interest in taxidermy and actually visualize a day in the life of it. This is someone's "nursing degree"; by giving a patient a dose of too much anesthesia, they could die. The point is no matter the profession, precision is key, and I mean VERY key when it comes to taxidermy. Orlean lets readers know once again by conversation she hears: "The taxidermists take the competition very seriously. During the time I was in Springfield, I heard conversations analyzing such arcane subjects as exactly how much a javelina's snout wrinkles when it snarls and which molars deer use to chew acorns as opposed to which ones they use to chew leaves. This is important because the ultimate goal of a taxidermist is to make the animal look exactly as if it had never died, as if it were still in the middle of doing ordinary animal things like plucking berries off a bush or taking a nap."
1. Based on "Lifelike", did it change your thoughts on what taxidermy really means to some?
2. Did reading this make you want to dig deeper into the life of a taxidermist to see if the detail listed in the article was true?
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Standing By CP
The controlling purpose of my essay is to zoom in on different reasons why Sedaris chose to make fun of others in the setting he chose (airport).
Friday, February 8, 2013
Reflecting On Revision
Ebony's draft immediately caught my attention on what her take on the article "Standing By" was. Although we both included in our papers that the article was written sarcastically, she seemed to have thought that at one point, Sedaris may have actually been ranting about the people he observed, reevaluated his opinions later by self reflecting. My take was that he was never seriously talking about these people, that maybe this is all a non-fictional tale of a previous fictional "David Sedaris". Perhaps he was (and could still be) this person who has such a low self-esteem issue that his way of avoiding having to deal with himself, his release was/is to take it out on others. It is always easier to admit to and find someone else's flaws rather than your own. I believe we both came to the same basic conclusion of a sarcastic outlook, it was interesting to find that maybe at one point, she felt he meant some it and his opinion evolved while I thought sarcasm was throughout from the start.
I think she and I touched on many of the same things, although I did see that she noticed that the article happened to be written around election time, where people all over were into judging the former candidate Barack Obama based on a lot of assumptions, not facts. I did not look at it that way and that is actually a great point. Politics are one of the most frequently argued issues worldwide.
Ebony stated in her paper: "I think Sedaris wrote in a sarcastic, witty tone so the reader can feel the emotions he was feeling when he was thinking and reacting to certain things because we all tend to feel the same way while annoyed." I believe that is an excellent thesis statement although it is not in the beginning. I also believe that it is properly placed. Due to the way she wrote the paper, it would not necessarily flow had she included that in the beginning. I wrote: "I found Sedaris’ writing to be critical to the human race only to a degree of sarcasm. It seems as if he wrote the article to ridicule the natural, unconscious behavior of humans so that by reading his composition, we would then become conscious of the fact that do indeed tend to be selfish in our thoughts until it comes down to ourselves. Although we made similar statements, this was found at the beginning of my paper, in the introduction. It just depends on the writer. That is was makes each writer unique, their personalities reflecting into their writing style.
Now that I have read a wonderful draft with excellent word choice, I definitely have some work to do on my own paper! I think mines is still very unorganized and has a lot if editing that need be done but that is why it is a rough draft, emphasis on rough.
I think she and I touched on many of the same things, although I did see that she noticed that the article happened to be written around election time, where people all over were into judging the former candidate Barack Obama based on a lot of assumptions, not facts. I did not look at it that way and that is actually a great point. Politics are one of the most frequently argued issues worldwide.
Ebony stated in her paper: "I think Sedaris wrote in a sarcastic, witty tone so the reader can feel the emotions he was feeling when he was thinking and reacting to certain things because we all tend to feel the same way while annoyed." I believe that is an excellent thesis statement although it is not in the beginning. I also believe that it is properly placed. Due to the way she wrote the paper, it would not necessarily flow had she included that in the beginning. I wrote: "I found Sedaris’ writing to be critical to the human race only to a degree of sarcasm. It seems as if he wrote the article to ridicule the natural, unconscious behavior of humans so that by reading his composition, we would then become conscious of the fact that do indeed tend to be selfish in our thoughts until it comes down to ourselves. Although we made similar statements, this was found at the beginning of my paper, in the introduction. It just depends on the writer. That is was makes each writer unique, their personalities reflecting into their writing style.
Now that I have read a wonderful draft with excellent word choice, I definitely have some work to do on my own paper! I think mines is still very unorganized and has a lot if editing that need be done but that is why it is a rough draft, emphasis on rough.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Assignment 4: Choices
Since I believe the piece of writing is satirical, I feel Sedaris made the choice to do so because it definitely gives an alternative perspective than stating society needs a change as far as judgments go. He first makes us feel like idiots (in a good way!) by seeming at first to be in attune with how society as a whole instantly stereotype people based on how they dress, what they say, and their actions. Then he adds a small paragraph towards the end about how it could very well be an internal insecurity that we release externally by talking about other people so that we no longer feel insecure since we have found someone else that seems worse off.
* To be added to.
* To be added to.
Assignment 4
Sedaris touches on some societal things we all do unconsciously such as looking at people that surround you and judging them based on what they are wearing. After rereading several times, instead of interpreting the story as if Sedaris stereotyping humans as i had before, I took another approach and believe that the article has a much better chance of being a satirical piece, a lesson to society. After saying mean things about each person that he encounters throughout the airport, Sedaris finally mentions the fact that all of these events that surround us could simply be a test of the mind; are we really so cruel, always looking for someone to blame? Or do we just want to be heard and need the attention?
Sedaris is living in a political time when the article was written, where Obama had just began serving his first term. Of course everyone has their political biases and opinions and most of the time, they are debatably strong biases and opinions!
As Sedaris strolls through the airport, it seems as if he wants his readers to have this vivid image of the people he sees everywhere. Sedaris describes the older woman with her two "beautifully dressed"grandchildren, the red-head with the baby and lank braids, "Mr. Mustache", and even described the guy behind him from the khaki shorts down to his baseball cap attached to his waistband. Details this far in depth to the point where you literally feel as if you were standing next to him paints a pretty clear picture of just how badly he wants us to visualize what he lived. Some of the description words he used while depicting those around him were words that assisted in swaying readers to form an opinion on how to feel or at least how Sedaris may have wanted readers to feel. For instance, after neutrally describing the red headed teenager, he goes on to change our opinions about the teen from "average teenager" to "red-headed modern Stevie Wonder". So in a matter of just reading a few more sentences, Sedaris had my visualization go from impartial to all the way on his side based on the Stevie Wonder comment. It just makes me wonder why a young man with red hair would want to wear beaded braids similar to a blind man had back in the 70's. Without Sedaris having added all of those extra details, he would not have been able to reach me in any way. Yet he goes that extra length to describe everything, giving him the ability to influence.
Sedaris is living in a political time when the article was written, where Obama had just began serving his first term. Of course everyone has their political biases and opinions and most of the time, they are debatably strong biases and opinions!
As Sedaris strolls through the airport, it seems as if he wants his readers to have this vivid image of the people he sees everywhere. Sedaris describes the older woman with her two "beautifully dressed"grandchildren, the red-head with the baby and lank braids, "Mr. Mustache", and even described the guy behind him from the khaki shorts down to his baseball cap attached to his waistband. Details this far in depth to the point where you literally feel as if you were standing next to him paints a pretty clear picture of just how badly he wants us to visualize what he lived. Some of the description words he used while depicting those around him were words that assisted in swaying readers to form an opinion on how to feel or at least how Sedaris may have wanted readers to feel. For instance, after neutrally describing the red headed teenager, he goes on to change our opinions about the teen from "average teenager" to "red-headed modern Stevie Wonder". So in a matter of just reading a few more sentences, Sedaris had my visualization go from impartial to all the way on his side based on the Stevie Wonder comment. It just makes me wonder why a young man with red hair would want to wear beaded braids similar to a blind man had back in the 70's. Without Sedaris having added all of those extra details, he would not have been able to reach me in any way. Yet he goes that extra length to describe everything, giving him the ability to influence.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Assignment 3
After reading "Standing By" by David Sedaris, I didn't find it very relevant to every day life, but it was worth reading. I think his purpose for writing "Standing By" was to simply give his perspective on past experiences he has had at the airport. By doing so, it allows potential readers an opportunity to relate in the case that they have shared a similar experience. This, in turn, gets Sedaris some recognition and also a record that he has now attained and therefore must maintain. Now, when he writes other personal encounters, readers will know what to look forward to; a humorous critic rather than a negative author ranting about dreadful situations society already hates as a whole (like going to DMV or the grocery store) and has made enough unfavorable comments about already. As an author, your profession automatically introduces you to taking some of the biggest risks. By writing what you believe is "good writing", you will eventually publish it and get either good or bad exposure. This will determine the rest of your career stand point. The point being, I believe Sedaris wrote this story based on the confidence from his past reviews, ratings and successes. After all, if he was no good at it, which would be clear due to minimal success, he would have stopped writing by now. He also could have wrote it to lighten up the moods of flight attendants, frequent travelers, or anyone else who has to stand in ridiculously long lines, and to provide optimism that is much needed.
The kind of questions Sedaris raises from my point of view is why does he criticize what people wear and don't wear in the airport on pages 276-277? When it's all said and done, that family ends up on one end of the earth and he will end up on another. On a psychological level of thinking, since when was a tie, ribbon, and a straw hat classified as "beautifully dressed"? What was so wrong with the "Freaky Mothafocka", misspelled and all? I believe that is less of a front than the "ribbon and tie". "Freaky Mothafocka" is representing his true self, also letting the world know "although the word on my shirt is publicly misspelled, I am not publicly embarrassed." It should show those walking around the airport judging him to instead realize that life is full of mistakes, and nobody is perfect. The shirt is fun and extremely expressive, and he was not on his way to an interview.
After I read the story, I felt "don't we all have these moments at some point in our lives?". I am sure this is what Sedaris wants us to think. He just wants his readers to relate to resembling situations by using trends in society to his advantage. Right in the beginning, he says, "It was one of those headaches that befall every airline passenger"(Sedaris 275). Right away, readers probably feel obligated to feel or at least try to imagine what it feels like to be stuck on delayed plane trip. It usually brings most people to become depressed and irritated by this kind of situation simply by thinking about it. Then he continues by finding the perfect way the reader can make light of a bad situation as such when all else fails. He persuaded us to focus our attention on what society recognizes as foolishness and proceed to belittle it/them. As strong of an impact as media and advertisement has on society, Sedaris can easily sway his audience to feel what he feels without ever having rode a plane before. Media and advertisement is very trendy and by this I mean it switches up very often when it comes to what's "in" right now. Here, we can go back to my raised question in the paragraph above. Media portrays very "successful people" to wear "ties and ribbons", as if those "successful people" have never used the term "Mothafocka" before. So by portraying the "Freaky Mothafocka" as a weird person (besides the Stevie Wonder braids with beads), why wouldn't he just be an average Joe? Is it because "Mothafocka" is not representing "appropriate"language? So if it's inappropriate in public, why isn't it inappropriate in general, even behind closed doors when the tie or the ribbon comes off at the end of the night? Why not refrain from using the term at all if you are going to judge someone for wearing the word proudly, openly admitting he says it so there are no surprises later. See, media portrays perfection so Sedaris knew that by following the current trend at the time, society would gladly and unconsciously feel his distaste for the "vulgar young man" but greatly appreciate the "catalogue children"(<media/advertisement).
1.) Why do you think the "Freaky Mothafocka" was poorly judged but the "beautifully dressed" grandkids were praised solely by their apparel?
The kind of questions Sedaris raises from my point of view is why does he criticize what people wear and don't wear in the airport on pages 276-277? When it's all said and done, that family ends up on one end of the earth and he will end up on another. On a psychological level of thinking, since when was a tie, ribbon, and a straw hat classified as "beautifully dressed"? What was so wrong with the "Freaky Mothafocka", misspelled and all? I believe that is less of a front than the "ribbon and tie". "Freaky Mothafocka" is representing his true self, also letting the world know "although the word on my shirt is publicly misspelled, I am not publicly embarrassed." It should show those walking around the airport judging him to instead realize that life is full of mistakes, and nobody is perfect. The shirt is fun and extremely expressive, and he was not on his way to an interview.
After I read the story, I felt "don't we all have these moments at some point in our lives?". I am sure this is what Sedaris wants us to think. He just wants his readers to relate to resembling situations by using trends in society to his advantage. Right in the beginning, he says, "It was one of those headaches that befall every airline passenger"(Sedaris 275). Right away, readers probably feel obligated to feel or at least try to imagine what it feels like to be stuck on delayed plane trip. It usually brings most people to become depressed and irritated by this kind of situation simply by thinking about it. Then he continues by finding the perfect way the reader can make light of a bad situation as such when all else fails. He persuaded us to focus our attention on what society recognizes as foolishness and proceed to belittle it/them. As strong of an impact as media and advertisement has on society, Sedaris can easily sway his audience to feel what he feels without ever having rode a plane before. Media and advertisement is very trendy and by this I mean it switches up very often when it comes to what's "in" right now. Here, we can go back to my raised question in the paragraph above. Media portrays very "successful people" to wear "ties and ribbons", as if those "successful people" have never used the term "Mothafocka" before. So by portraying the "Freaky Mothafocka" as a weird person (besides the Stevie Wonder braids with beads), why wouldn't he just be an average Joe? Is it because "Mothafocka" is not representing "appropriate"language? So if it's inappropriate in public, why isn't it inappropriate in general, even behind closed doors when the tie or the ribbon comes off at the end of the night? Why not refrain from using the term at all if you are going to judge someone for wearing the word proudly, openly admitting he says it so there are no surprises later. See, media portrays perfection so Sedaris knew that by following the current trend at the time, society would gladly and unconsciously feel his distaste for the "vulgar young man" but greatly appreciate the "catalogue children"(<media/advertisement).
1.) Why do you think the "Freaky Mothafocka" was poorly judged but the "beautifully dressed" grandkids were praised solely by their apparel?
Sedaris’ “Standing By”
The essay "Standing By" was pretty critical of human beings yet interesting to read. The author's ability to keep my attention through an ENTIRE essay about flight and travel was impressive, I must say. I think his power to be descriptive, detailed, and also so real and blunt about how typical airport occurrences generally go, such as the older lady with her spiffy looking grandkids, or the large family that is trying to reach their destination, not trying to please anyone with formal wear; after all, it is just the airport (Sedaris 275). Then you have the men between middle aged and mid life crisis who have nothing better to do but go on forever about politics (Sedaris 275). Then there is you (in this case, David), in the midst of all this commotion, forced to zone in on all of these different side conversations going on around you (Sedaris 275). These realistic depictions are what made me continue reading with increasing interest. Sedaris' humor reflected into the entire passage also which gave the read more of my mind absorption (Sedaris 275-276). All of these qualities together make up a worthy piece of writing which is why I felt it was worthy of my time. Overall, I would definitely say that everyone could take a liking to the story in one aspect or another. Very well written.
Works Cited
Sedaris, David. "Standing By." First Year Composition Reader. Boston: Pearson, 2011. 275-277.
Print.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Assignment 2
Based on the Student Guide, I expect for this class to be regarded as more of an expression of each individual's point of view rather than dry writing assignments with the expectation of a dry, average responses. What I took from the reading was that I do not have to come into the class knowing everything or trying too hard. I saw it as I will be there to serve my purpose as a student-to learn. Clearly I will have to put in effort, but overloading my mind will not produce good work. It sounds like the course is for students to learn that writing has to be natural thoughts and not some gibberish we found in books, magazines, or the internet because "it sounded advanced". Everyone has their own pace at which they learn, but in some way everyone can relate to each other, whether or not from experience.
Being a writer in this course will indeed further assist in the real world. Everywhere we go, we must write no matter what the career. You can be a journalist or a mechanic, you will be doing some writing!
My only concern at this point is if the the class is so laid back, where does structure come into play? But if writing is a form of expression, then how can you grade our thoughts and emotions without being harsh? Do you grade the grammar and spelling part of it only? The Student Guide also read that there are no rules to writing. Was I being lied to my whole life? How, then, will I structure a "nice" paper? What is considered "nice" and "acceptable"?
Being a writer in this course will indeed further assist in the real world. Everywhere we go, we must write no matter what the career. You can be a journalist or a mechanic, you will be doing some writing!
My only concern at this point is if the the class is so laid back, where does structure come into play? But if writing is a form of expression, then how can you grade our thoughts and emotions without being harsh? Do you grade the grammar and spelling part of it only? The Student Guide also read that there are no rules to writing. Was I being lied to my whole life? How, then, will I structure a "nice" paper? What is considered "nice" and "acceptable"?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Introduction
Hello everyone!
I'm Tiffany and I will stand out very quickly. I have known to be very blunt (in a good way). I am also extremely creative. I make kid's birthday invitations, plan kid parties, a bit of interior design/decorating, and a little graphic design. Ironically, I am an accounting major. Accounting is my "school" of choice because everyone will always need their taxes done, therefore I will always have a job. Plus, numbers rule the world. That doesn't mean I am a math wiz; I'm actually far from but just think about it. What got you up this morning (besides Jesus)? The numbers on the clock that struck the alarm. Also, how is success generally determined? Money $$$. Money is only numbers. Throughout school, I was actually always naturally good at English (and no I'm not just saying that). I literally received a 24 on the English section of my ACT followed by a whopping 17 on the math portion. The main reason I think I excel in English is because I can relate to any topic I am given to write about. For me, writing is like a poem about experiences. Writing is the expression of one's views and interpretations. Writing is almost as beautiful as poetry. Writing is poetry.
Unfortunately, I am from Milwaukee, WI. Yes, I know, it's sad. I do not have any pets. As a child, I went through about....ummm... about..four...yes four goldfish (they weren't really gold). They all jumped out of the fish bowl and committed suicide. This all occurred at different times by the way. For a while now, I have wanted a small dog that doesn't grow, but I am too broke and don't have time to take care of one.
This is my beautiful princess-in-training (by ME of course [:), my god daughter:
I'm Tiffany and I will stand out very quickly. I have known to be very blunt (in a good way). I am also extremely creative. I make kid's birthday invitations, plan kid parties, a bit of interior design/decorating, and a little graphic design. Ironically, I am an accounting major. Accounting is my "school" of choice because everyone will always need their taxes done, therefore I will always have a job. Plus, numbers rule the world. That doesn't mean I am a math wiz; I'm actually far from but just think about it. What got you up this morning (besides Jesus)? The numbers on the clock that struck the alarm. Also, how is success generally determined? Money $$$. Money is only numbers. Throughout school, I was actually always naturally good at English (and no I'm not just saying that). I literally received a 24 on the English section of my ACT followed by a whopping 17 on the math portion. The main reason I think I excel in English is because I can relate to any topic I am given to write about. For me, writing is like a poem about experiences. Writing is the expression of one's views and interpretations. Writing is almost as beautiful as poetry. Writing is poetry.
Unfortunately, I am from Milwaukee, WI. Yes, I know, it's sad. I do not have any pets. As a child, I went through about....ummm... about..four...yes four goldfish (they weren't really gold). They all jumped out of the fish bowl and committed suicide. This all occurred at different times by the way. For a while now, I have wanted a small dog that doesn't grow, but I am too broke and don't have time to take care of one.
This is my beautiful princess-in-training (by ME of course [:), my god daughter:
Christiana
Cute right? I know.
I would say I am fairly family oriented, but I would be lying. I am generally a loner and OCD doesn't help. My only close family member passed in a car crash in 2008. If I had one wish, I would ask that my grandmother come back alive so we could have one last conversation about how it all happened.
For this class, I intend to learn how to enhance my writing skills. I also plan on finding out if I'm actually a good writer or was I being lied to all along. With us being such a small class, I look forward to getting to know you all before the semester is over.
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