Blog 12/12

My advice to future writers is to keep an open mind. This semester in WSC 1 there were a variety of projects. From blogs to prezis to papers to slideshows. I would never have used a blog if it wasn't for this class, because it was not something that interested me. But I found that blogging is not that bad and a useful way to share information. Do not dread the papers either. You can be as creative as you want, so don't feel like just because it is a paper you can't enjoy writing it. The same goes for everything in the class. There may be some things you enjoy more than others but thats to be expected. If you keep an open mind you can get what you want out of the course. I didn't remember everything from the class, but I did remember what was important to me. It's your choice to either hate the class, or keep an open mind and get what you can from it.

Blog 11/12

I would not consider the four letter word projects writing. They are made up of images and sound and only have on word. I think writing is something that uses text to say something. Since the four letter word projects were mostly images and sounds, it did not use the text to say something. The viewer would have been able to see the point and figure out the word even if the word wasn't there. I would also not consider a movie with credits a piece of writing, so just because there is text doesn't make it writing. I believe that the text has to do something for the viewer.

Blog 10/12

Rodney Jones is arguing that once you lose an idea, it is lost forever. He was wading out into the water which represents his thoughts. Then the shout from the beach is someone distracting him from his idea. And he drops it into the water and loses it. Even though he really liked the idea, it is too late to ever get it back. As he says "then the idea I was not finished, then the act of reaching down with the idea I would get it back." This describes him losing his idea.

Blog 9/12

Sometimes I anticipate readers of text I put on. There are times when I know where I am going, so I dress accordingly. There are times when I just put on a random shirt because it matches with what I am wearing. All of the text on my shirts mean something. Otherwise I would not have bought the shirt. I don't wear jewelry and I don't have any tattoos so the only text I wear are shirts. There are times where I don't wear something because I know that the people I am around won't like it or understand it.
When I use Twitter I do not anticipate a reader. I know that since I am not famous I cannot expect a large amount of followers. If someone is following me then they will be very disappointed because there are not many interesting things that I have to say. However it is still on the internet so I do censor myself sometimes.
The texts we wear or post on Twitter create meaning for ourselves. We wear text on our clothes because the text mean something to us. Even if we just throw on the shirt, the text still means something to us at sometime, even if it doesn't mean something at that time. The text that we wear can tell everyone who sees it something about us. The only case where text would not have meaning to us is if we received the clothing for free and had nothing else to wear. Then we would be lucky to have something to wear.

Blog 8/12

Zadie Smith state that "I believe that flexibility of voice leads to a flexibility in all things."(194) I completely agree with this statement. Once you are able to adapt a specific voice that is not your own, you can start to develop different traits that the voice may have but you do not. Like the saying "Fake it till you make it" it is easy to *something* yourself into being someone you're not. Making different traits from different persons become apart of you and leaving you with a better and more flexible view point of other things.

Blog 7/12

Yes the writer was influenced by their writing implement. One thing I thought was interesting was that she wrote the quote in a different  color. This made it stand out more than just using quotation marks. I think the writer was more expressive because she used different colors throughout the piece. On the back she wrote her name and also a small picture. If she was writing in pencil she may not have felt the same urge to draw a picture.
I think that the writing is good. She wrote just as if she were writing in pencil, only the presentation was different. The colors she used were calm so they did not distract. If it had been very bright it may have taken away from the point. The difference in presentation only enhanced the piece.

Blog 5/12

The difference between a president and a poet are that a president is more formal. A poet is not constrained to the rules of being a leader. They can be imaginative and free. While presidents "tend to dismiss this land."(193) Smith suggests that there is a difference, however she hopes that one day this difference may dissolve. She thinks that Obama may be the president which breaks the mold. Because he has already shown that he is not afraid to speak about sensitive subject matter. However it is something that only time will tell.

Blog 4/12

Zadie Smith says that "voice adaptations still the original British sin."(180) Why is voice adaptation so bad in the eyes of the British?
Smith describes Obamas voice at seventeen and says this is his voice "remembered by Obama."(183) Couldn't Obama have remembered his voice differently than it really was?
When Smith is describing Obamas speech she seems to be looking very deeply into it. Couldn't Obama have just been trying to reach one audience rather than subtly speaking to more than one?
Smith talks about how angry Jesse Jackson has been, and then when Obama won he was crying. Why does this make everything better just because he won?
Smith describes all the atrocities that Shakespeare has seen and experienced. How did this give him the ability to write as multiple personalities?
Smith puts an excerpt of a poem towards the end of her piece. What is the purpose of this poem? It seems very strange.

My Project 4 Revised Video

Here it is.

Blog 6/12

When the main character asks "who are they talking to?" I have the same question. Do they really think that people care what they tweet about? For most online writing I feel like there is purpose. This blog has a purpose so if people on the internet read it then at least they will know my opinion. It is not just random personal updates that won't benefit anyone. The only way I would want someone to read my tweets is if I was famous and people actually cared. Most people don't seem to feel the same way, they just tweet whatever they are doing.

I think that Twitter would be a useful resource for projects like the one we were going to do. It is a good way to collect many short ideas. However in my personal life Twitter is not useful. Also it would be good for entertainment when celebrities use it. If interesting people are actually using it, then it would also be interesting.

Blog 3/12

What I really think about the writing space that twitter affords is that it is just annoying. People constantly are updating their twitters. I don't think that there is any reason to know what someone is doing at every single moment in their life. The Facebook status updates are enough. The only reason someone should have a twitter is if they are famous and are doing something interesting. Then it would be interesting to hear what they are doing. Otherwise there is no reason why I would want to hear what you are doing.

Blog 2/12

I'm not sure why so many people wear texts on their clothing and on their skin.  Perhaps they feel that such portable writing serves to express an idea that they have. It may have a very emotional attachment to them also. Since tattoos are on your skin forever, they are usually well thought out. Shirts are usually more casual than tattoos. Sometimes they try to be funny or want to show something that is clever.

Blog 1/12

The argument in the poem is that a tree does something that is so amazing, someone cannot describe it in words. Robert Hess tries to describe the tree, but he can't. Of course everyone knows what a tree does, but they cannot describe it. Even if there is beautiful poetry that tries, it doesn't do the tree justice. So Hess ends his poem by saying that the tree does "something in the wind."

I think Hass is trying to show how poets try to describe trees. They use language that is supposed to be deep and beautiful, but in reality the language could never describe what the tree really does.

Can images do what words do?

I do not think that images can do what words can do. Images can make someone feel a certain way, however they are not always clear. Words can clearly spell out the point that the writer is trying to get across. Everyone can interpret an image in a different way. So it may be hard to make a precise point with an image. Sometimes images can make strong argument if they are very powerful. Being able to see something rather than hear about it can make a big impact on someone.

I keep thinking...

I keep thinking about my Project 3, and I'm pretty sure my next rhetorical move will be to extend my metaphors. Some of my metaphors are not as in depth as they could be and they may be a little weak.

Ive been thinking...

I've been thinking about my own draft for Project 3 and I have to tell you that there were a few things I was unsure about. I'm not sure if I used the sources we have read correctly. I used segments of their pieces. My piece was more of my own thoughts and feelings and I am not sure if you wanted me to reference more the the pieces we had read in class.

Wesch's Argument

Wesch's argument is that people are not as personal as they used to be. Whether its in class or in their private life. In class, most people are in huge lecture halls. The professor doesn't even know their name he just talks to all the students. Wesch doesn't think that this is the best type of learning. Also in their private life they use technology more. Instead of human interaction they talk on cell phones or on Facebook. This media can be distracting because students will not always pay attention in class.

Girl and Boy

girl, woman, miss, mrs., ma'am, she, her, lady, female, babe, baby, sister, daughter
boy, man, mister, bro, dude, brother, he, him, male, stud, son

My relationship with my reader

My relationship with my reader is wanting to constantly be criticized. Not the criticism that is harsh and hurts my self esteem. Constructive criticism that helps me grow. I know it sounds corny, but I want to be the best I can be. I enjoy writing, but I am not necessarily good at it. I hope that through criticism, I will be able to enjoy writing, and write well. What is key in me becoming better is the reader. I may sound selfish, using the reader to better myself, but I really am not. I help the reader by giving them a piece to read and hopefully enjoy, and they help me by giving me feedback. My relationship with my reader is symbiotic. Eventually, after re-writing and re-writing, I start to become my own reader. I have read my piece so many times that I begin to notice what needs to be changed. After reading I notice the flaws and what doesn't make sense.

Baby Video

I think that Meddy suggests that this video is relevant to our class because of the project we just did. It shows how the technology has become more prevalent than written magazine. The baby is growing up learning how to use an iPad rather than reading a magazine. The video helps show what the baby is feeling by going back and forth between the magazine and the iPad. Even though the baby may not necessarily be angry, it looks that way to the viewer.

A hotel room might be...

A hotel room might be like my home. It might be like another hotel room I've stayed in. It might be like the movies. It might be like my dreams. It might be like a song. It might be comfortable. It might be scary.

A hotel room...

A hotel room is not like my room. There are no personal belongings in a hotel room, unless I bring them. There are no memories in a hotel room, unless I make some. There is no sense of delusion from the rest of the world, unless I put the "do not disturb" sign up. There is no spot that is secret, unless there is a safe in the closet. There is no mess, unless the maid forgets to clean. There are no imperfections, unless the hotel doesn't do it's job.

A hotel room is not like...

A hotel room is not like home. It is not like my room. There is nothing personal in a hotel room. A hotel room is not like my mind. It is not like a dirty shack.

Home is like...

Home is like a place where you feel comfortable and safe. A place where you are able to escape to. Home can change if you change where you live. At first you may not seem comfortable, but then it is not yet a home. Once you get used to it, then it becomes a home.

Note Card

In presenting most media, whatever is used to create it is usually used to get the point across and thats it. However, sometimes the artist wants those to be noticed by the audience. Sometimes the point of the piece is to show off the medium specifically. As demonstrated by overlapping animation with live-action. See Justin Blau's card for more on this. Writing on an index card, the writer and reader are aware of space constraints, but are aware of the fragility of the situation that occurs when these notecards are switched every five minutes. This awareness is particularly increased when the writers exchange notecards mid-sentence and the tone changes drastically. This focus on less of a main point to gather, and of a lee on to learn from how a writer will react to certain situations that deal with a certain media, especially a media that can change voice in every five minutes.

John Wideman

I went to see author John Wideman speak. It was an interesting experience. Many people had shown up, most of them not from the school. He was obviously a very influential person. I had never went to see an author speak so I wasn't sure what to expect. From what I understood, it seemed that he wrote mostly about African Americans, and he was able to write in their voice very well. After his introduction, he read a piece  of work that he was working on. That lasted most of the time he had. After that there was a question and answer session. Many people had questions for him about his new work and his old works. It may have been better if I had went there after read some of his writing, but it was still interesting.

Group 3

Their argument is that changing technology improves writing. We started with the codex, then moved to the printing press, and then the computer. They say that the computer has been the greatest change to writing so far.

Group 2

Their argument is that digital text has redefined writing. Since there is more technology, there is more competition and digital text has started to take over. This will affect the way you write as well because the materials you use to write change the way you write.

Group 1

Their argument is that digital text gives us many more possibilities than written text can. There can be many multimedia interactions. Communication has gotten faster and there are more opportunities to communicate with others.

Jaques Derrida

Are you ever afraid to write? Do you take writing as seriously as Jaques Derrida?

There has never been a time where I have been afraid to write. It might be because nothing I have ever written has been so important. Most of my writing is for fun or for school. I usually don't write about subjects that I'm scared of. I might be afraid of a grade I am going to get, but not afraid to write about a subject.

Band Prezi

Click to see our prezi

Taylor Mali

How does the poem differ in its two versions? What role does spoken word (orality) privilege? What does the textual writing space (unconventional as it is) play in the transmission of meaning?

After watching the two versions of Taylor Mali's poem, there were some major differences. Once was during the live performance of the poem you were able to see his body language. This helped emphasize certain points of the poem. It showed how strongly he believed what he was saying. You were also able to see the audiences reactions. Most people seemed to look like they were enjoying it. Both versions had the audio version of the poem. It is a key element in the presenting of the poem. The way he read it made it sound like the laid back vernacular which most people speak in. It sounds more like a simple conversation than a poem being read. Also he is able to raise his voice at points that are important. If we were reading it then we wouldn't be able to tell what points should be important. The format that the textual presentation is in is very interesting. If it was normal text it would be very boring and not have a big impact. However the way the text flows goes with his words well and really helps us see what he is saying.

5 Minute Free-write Is the Machine Using Us?

In a way the machine is using us. Because like he says the web is learning every time we do something on it. And everyone uses it so it is constantly being shown new things. It also shaped what we do. Instead of talking in person we might use the web to communicate with each other. We even take specific pictures to post on the web. There are some people who only know each other virtually and have never met in person. Their whole relationship has been online and they may be changed by that.

True Confessions

In chapter six of  John Trimble's Writing In Style, he describes what he feels is important when it comes to diction. The three main points he makes is consciousness, vigorous verbs, and freshness. Each one of these is important but the one which I feel is the most important to me is vigorous verbs. This is one area where I could improve on my writing. Usually I try to just write and get my point across. I don't even think about how verbs could improve my language. They would really make my arguments sound a lot stronger. If I used more vigorous verbs the audience would see how strongly I feel about a point and be more convinced. In the future I will try to work on incorporating this into my writing.

Folgers Commercial

In this commercial we see a bunch of people coming out of the sea dressed in yellow and singing. These people are supposed to represent the sun because it is the morning and they are so bright. They go around to people and wake them up by standing by them or singing their song loudly. People are not happy about being woken up. Then at the end a man makes a cup of Folgers coffee and he starts to mouth the words of the song, showing he is no longer bothered by waking up.

This commercial tries to use something people can relate to and make it funny. A lot of people to not like getting up early in the morning. The fact that we see other people not enjoying getting up makes us empathize with them. So when we see the man at the end actually enjoying mornings because he drank a cup of Folgers, it makes us want to drink Folgers so we can enjoy mornings. Another thing about this commercial is that the song is catchy so you get it stuck in your head and then you remember the commercial.

Click here to see the commercial

AT&T Commercial

In this commercial we see two children who are dressed like Hansel and Gretel walking through a city. They are leaving a trail of breadcrumbs behind them so they can find their way back. Soon it becomes nighttime and the children are still in the city. They look behind them and their breadcrumbs are gone. But luckily the young girl pulls out her phone and uses the GPS function to find a route back home.

This commercial is showing how much people need a GPS system in their phone. It shows two children using it so that it seems like it is easy enough for everyone to use. They are also portrayed very innocent which makes us think that these could be any young children. This would make parents see the need for a phone with a GPS because if their children were ever lost they would want them to be able to find their way home.

Click here to see the commercial

Heineken Commercial

In this commercial it shows a group of women who open up a walk in closet and begin screaming. Then there are screams heard coming from somewhere else. We are shown a group of men screaming at a walk in fridge filled with Heineken beer.

The target audience of this commercial is obviously men. It shows that women are excited about clothes and men are excited about beer. This is not true because of course there are women who drink beer, but in this case the men are the ones who Heineken is trying to sell too. This commercial is usually played on stations like ESPN, whose main audience is men who enjoy sports.

Click here to see the commercial

Commercial

Here's a commercial

12 Questions About AT&T

1. Why are they in the city?
2. Why do the kids have a phone?
3. Why are they dressed different?
4. Who is this commercial for?

12 Questions About Heineken

1. What language is the commercial in?
2. Why aren't the women screaming for Heineken?
3. What station was this commercial on?
4. What does the Heineken commercial say about men and women?

Pantene Commercial

The commercial tells a story of a young deaf girl who tries to learn how to play the violin. Her teacher is an older street performer who communicates with her by using sign language. While she is learning to play the deaf girl is constantly tormented by another girl. Then right before the deaf girl was going to compete in a competition, some people come, beat up her teacher, and smash her violin.

Then girl puts her violin back together and goes to the competition. The broken violin represents all the struggle she's been through her whole life. She has been bullied and discouraged over and over again. So much so that she had become broken inside. Yet like the broken violin, she still keeps playing. It represents her strength and persistence. 

But the commercial is not about her struggle or her story. The real reason for the commercial is to sell Pantene products. As she plays in the competition, her hair is flying around, clearly showing off what the Pantene products can do. There is even a scene of her walking through a field with a butterfly, which has nothing to do with anything, just promoting Pantene. Even though it may be touching to think about the broken violin, thats not what the commercial is about at all.

You can find the commercial by clicking here.

FFW 9/12

John Trimble makes the case that all writers are like warriors, defending claims and fortifying arguments. How do you respond to this trope, this figurative turn? I would agree with Trimble when he says this because writers are constantly being criticized. So they must defend what they write agains a barrage of questions and criticisms. They must make their arguments strong otherwise people will not believe them or they will find reason to doubt them. Whoever has a stronger argument will usually be correct, or at least seem to be correct.

Inventing Tyler Krastins

Alright well our first assignment is to write for 12 minutes nonstop. This is going to be very difficult because I have no idea what to write about. And since I am typing on a computer there will be a lot more that I can write because I can type faster than I can write on paper. I feel like I am going to just end up rambling on about nothing which is exactly what I am doing so far. And its only been a minute so far so I'm in trouble. I wish I could listen to music during this because then at least something would be going through my head. I was just listening to some of drakes new stuff and its pretty s good. I think i just made a typo but Im pretty sure she said that spelling and stuff doesn't matter for this. So I'm just going to skip over it. Well anyway back to drake because thats pretty mush the only thing I can think about right now. He just came out with a new song club paradise, but my favorite from his new album is still headlines. Pretty mush every time I'm on the computer I play headlines at least once. And I just looked back its looks like my autocorrect is saying mush instead of much so all those times it said mush it was supposed to be much. But if you look at the context mush doesn't make sense anyway so you could probably figure it out. I don't know if I did this right because I named this post Inventing Tyler Krastins. I don't know if the blog is just supposed to be named that or if this post was too. I hope it was because I just wasn't sure so I started naming everything Inventing Tyler Krastins. And 12 minutes seems like a long time to do this. I hope everyone else's post is as ridiculous as this because I feel like I should be having some really deep thoughts and recording them but my mind is just drawing a blank. Whatever maybe Im the only one whose is like this and i'll make a fool of myself but thats ok. Wow I still have four minutes left until I can stop this and I've pretty much run out of stuff to ramble about. Well I guess I can say how I woke up at 2 today. It's not that I stayed up that late I just like a lot of sleep. I usually sleep for twelve hours a day when I can. Im also hungry because I just woke up and havent had anything to eat yet today. So after this is done I will probably head to the student center and grab some food. I do have water that I have been drinking though. I know thats not very interesting but its pretty much all I have to talk about. I mean of course I can't drink water now because I am typing, but before and after I will be drinking water. Alright I got one minute left on the home stretch. Now I can count down the time. Actually it looks like I just ran out of time so I'm done.