12/12

     The keys to writing are: be in a comfortable location in which you can concentrate, avoiding too comfortable places, find an argument that invigorates you, and get your ideas on paper immediately.

     Being in a great location, like Ron Koertge states, is a great idea. One must find a place that fits the person. Also, picking places that are too comfortable can hazard a problem. For example, I avoid writing at places in which people are playing loud videos and chatting. But complete silence, working on my bed, makes me fall asleep no matter what surface I lean against, convincing myself that as long as I am vaguely uncomfortable that I will be fine. That is a bad idea. Personally, I write best in a quiet place that I fill with droning, repetitive music that is away from large, persuasive, comfortable cushions.
     Next finding the argument is the trick. If you don't care, your paper won't, and your teacher won't either. So, essentially: not caring=not caring, definitely=s not caring. The end. But trying to care a little to put time into putting thought into how to change the topic around to care a little is worth a lot. Being angry is actually best to storm your thoughts on paper and then edit. Editing is easy, it's the ominous blank page and the word count number is what gets you down. So be mad America; or just Prof. Lay's class.
     Last point ties in with argument. Just get your ideas down on paper. Just do it. No one could tell you what you are thinking, and you are thinking right? So force your frozen-from-not-moving fingers to haphazard a few words. Just like in (forgive me) stupid Christmas movies- just put one foot in front of the other and soon you'll be walking through the door with a paper in hand. Now doesn't that feel better?

11/12

The four-letter word projects are writing. Writing is anything that communicates an argument and these projects have definitely gotten their points across through images. Also, a visual production can be set up like a paper with an introductory image or two, followed by images that once connected, can make an argument. The main difference is that arguments made by images usually need more images or text to be understood. If you only saw a woman walking in one photo in a project, you would not understand the argument. But if you saw a woman walking alone and then later with a group, the message would become clearer but even more images would help. Writing does not convey meaning as quickly and effectively as images. Images do not have to be translated and usually one glance at a picture provides exceedingly more information than glancing at a page does. Also one has to concentrate more while reading to receive the full impact of the meaning and a mental image while one can generally watch a TV show and understand what is happening even if one zones out for a few minutes.

10/12

       Rodney Jones is arguing in the poem, Hubris at Zunzal, that once something is said, or a thought floats out and is put to words, it is almost impossible to get it back. He likens the thought or thing said to a tasty drink in a coconut. He throws it out to sea, sees its impact on the waves, and cannot retrieve it.
       It is only after Rodney loses the drink that he realizes the sweetness of it. This argues that human nature is focused on trying to get what we don't have. We only want what our neighbor has, and therefore attempting to "keep up with the Jones." Or we want what we just lost. A toy to a child is not half so precious as when it breaks. It is in that moment that the child realizes that it can never be repaired or played with again and its value increases dramatically. This relates to poets and their words. Words are commonplace and ordinary until they are set in a pattern and sent off to the world to accept and enjoy. Hence, "then the idea I was not finished, then the act of reaching down with the idea I would get it back."

9/12

I do really consider that I will have an audience for the text that I am wearing. I am very careful to make sure that I do not offend anyone by what I wear or represent and I also usually know what I am wearing. In junior high, I wore a m&m t-shirt and everyone called it out and I was confused all day. Then I realized that the t-shirt wasn't directed at me alone but to who ever I am near. They day you wear the text is when you make the decision instead of when you buy it. My dad is a teacher who has a wicked sense of humor so some t-shirts he buys but cannot wear it out in public for fear that a student will see it. When I use twitter, I only anticipate my readership is you (Prof. Lay) because you are the only one who cares and that matters on twitter for me. The texts we wear and tweed succeed at making meaning because it gives the argument about who we are. These are as limited as the crayon responses because they both have limitations. For example, putting text under the armpit on a shirt is useless.

6/12

The twitter bird's answer to "Who are they talking to?" is no one and everyone. They are not directing their tweets/ thoughts to any particular location but to anyone who wants to listen/ follow them, therefore the world. I do not wonder who my audience is when I post on twitter because I know it is you. I do not tweet except for this class because I feel that no one is listening and even if they did, it would not affect me at all because my tweet will be forgotten as soon as another tweet is posted (which is all the time). I do feel differently about my audience on online writing environment because that is Facebook. This medium I use to message my friends and find out how they are doing, not the world. So I really don't have a online audience relationship because I just use it for information and an easier way to text. I imagine if I do tweet that the people who are reading are really bored people who are spending their lives reading tweets like mine. By my previous statement, I also doubt the viability of twitter as a valuable tool. The purpose of microblogging is to see how many people one can affect in the most arbitrary way possible.

5/12

Zadie Smith rejects the claim that a president with a two-sided voice might be a good one with the argument for poets. The difference between the poet and president is that while the current president (Obama) might have two voices and duality, poets embody many voices and personas. Therefore the poets surpass the president through the use of imagination. Smith states, "[The republic of imagination] is the only land of perfect freedom. Presidents, as a breed, tend to dismiss this land, thinking it has nothing to teach them. If this new president turns out to be different, then writers will count their blessings..." (193) While great presidents can be good by seeing two sides of an issue, poets can see all angles and so would make a better president.

4/12

1. Zadie Smith in Speaking in Tongues mentions a Reggae bar and exclaims, "But wait: all the way uptown? A crazy reggae bar? For a minute I hesitated, becasue I was at a lovely party having a lovely time. Or was that it?"(194) Why does the author spend so much time focusing on the Reggae bar?

2. "It never occurred to me that I was leaving the London district of Willesden for Cambridge. I thought I was adding Cambridge to Willesden, this new way of talking to that old way. Adding a new kind of knowledge to a different kind that I already had" (179). Is it possible to keep both sides of your identity without alteration or shame?

3. "By the end of his experiment, Professor Higgins has make his Eliza an awkward, in-between thing, neither flower girl nor lady, with one voice lost and another gained, at the steep price of evertything she was and everything she knows" (181). Why couldn't Eliza just be a high class lady in a flower shop like she planned the whole movie?

4. "If you go (metaphorically speaking down the British class scale, you've gone from cockney to "mockney," and can expect a public tarring and feathering; to go the other way is to perform an unforgivable act of class betrayal"(180). Why is accents so important in Britain?

5. "But I haven't described Dream City. I'll try to. It is a place of many voices, where the unified singular self is an illusion. Naturally, Obama was born there. So was I. When your personal multiplicity is printed on your face, in an almost too obviously thematic manner, in your DNA, in your hair, and in the neither this nor that beige of your skin- well, anyone can see you come from Dream City" (184). Does seeming two-sided ensure that you are from Dream City? Do you inherit it? What happens if you are one-sided but look two?

6. "He talking down to white people- how curious it sounds the other way round!" (189) Why does the author's race mean so much to her?

3/12

A dozen by a dozen.... Blog post 3 of 12

What I really think about the writing space that twitter affords is that it is a nice way to send a message to the world but it really is futile and wasted action to tweet. Tweeting is not writing. Writing involves thought processes and readers and twitter involves neither. People tweet about what they are doing or what other people are doing. This includes fashion statements and texts found on skin. Furthermore, twitter is about having people read your messages. There are too many tweets to possibly be read and especially to be remembered. What's the point then? Twitter is like small talk in which it is common, trivial, and requires no thinking whatsoever. Andy Warhol said that in the future everyone will get fifteen minutes of fame, but no one thought that it would be at the same time as everyone else. So really no one gets fame, and that is essentially the point of twitter.

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 individualize us- make us feel special. In this day, age, and society individualism is a precious resource. The human population has expanded so far past the age of small towns and tight-knit communities in which everyone knows each other that most of us barely even know who our neighbors are. Therefore the only way to identify ourselves in a world in which we feel wholly insignificant and lost in is to make a statement- and that statement is through texts that we wear. If we wear something we are interested in, it makes a point about who we are and leads to connection with other equally lost human beings. For example, a person who has a Harry Potter tattoo will feel a bond with other Harry Potter tattoo bearers and might become best friends. This event would not occur without the text. Same with if someone wears a Glee t-shirt or a baseball hat. Humans create relationships through known ties that are shared between them and so texts speed up this process.

8/12

by Joseph Michael Patrick Smithwick CK IV
I think this is true with the ability to change your voice you can fit any situation. If you need to be a serious politician you can, or a funny commedian you can. Even if you need to be "gansta" to fin in you can. Look at all the people who change now they speak to fit the situation. Actors are great at this because they can play more roles with flexibility.

Picture: Stick figure holding skull with speech bubble- arrow- stick figure holding rubber chicken with laughing crowd behind him- arrow- mad stick figure standing over dead, laying down stick figure.

7/12

The writer is influenced by writing with crayons. The writer still writes really well because they write a paragraph and still finds the time to draw a picture within seven minutes. The picture is of an actor performing Shakespeare, a comedy routine, and a murder scene. The picture ties back into the paragraph by expanding on his point that actors are examples of Zatie's Smith whisper of flexibility. The author believes that actors who can change their voice can play more roles with flexibility. There fore the writer is more expressive by communicating through more mediums to prove one point. I know that the the writing is good because he makes a real argument.

Tree poem (1/12)

       The point of the tree poem is that the author could not find the right words to describe the movement of the tree. He tried dance  but that failed because he later said "Dance with me, dancer. Oh, I will" and that failed to compare to the tree. Next he used the word capitalized which doesn't make sense whatsoever. The author visualized an aspen tree in the wind but could not express it to his satisfaction. This shows that the argument is that there are times that visuals take the place of words and are needed for certain times. Poetry failed the poet and I am sure that he would rather be a photographer right now.
       The lines stated above are located third line from the bottom in italics. They are put into this format to adequately describe the exact reason that the word dance for trees was not compatible. In the last line he refuses to name exactly what the tree is doing. "The aspen doing something in the wind."
       

Walk Paper

Walk

1.         The visual production I will be examining is my own, my word is walk, and it is located on my blog. My first picture is a standard crosswalk and then a single person walking. What follows are many individuals walking in very many ways: for exercise, while in sleep, underwater and so on. All of these pictures are accompanied by the song Walk Like A Man by the Four Seasons. Next are different types of pairs until another crossing sign appears but this time it is of many people crossing; a song switch occurs to Hello Goodbye by the Beatles. And as the first notes of the song are recognized, the Beatles walking across the street picture comes up and is followed by an onslaught of famous people. A few negative pictures of walking people are scattered based on the music and also many “walks for change” inspirational images are displayed. The theme is that walking is a basic action but it can mean so much more.

2.         This video creation is definitely an argument. The first images of what walking closely resembles an introduction paragraph. Then the switch that is the transition statement was presented through music and style of images. Celebrities and also groups of people were displayed in the images instead of the primarily singles and doubles originally portrayed. These facts are easy to notice and the connection between the two presents the argument to the viewer. And it does so much more than just plain writing. With the argument comes all of the feelings that one cannot begin to feel if someone just wrote: walking is symbolism. The images of Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Harriet Tubman, Michael Jackson, and the Beatles makes the audience smile and remember through just seeing them. Then the audience perceives the connection between the images and the knowledge makes much more of an impact. J. Anthony Blair believes that arguments must be able to confirm or reject and my argument can. One can argue that walking is banal and cannot mean anything extra.

3.         The reasons of this argument are that walking can create change, bring hope, cause fear, cause death, and inspire the world. A cliché of walking is that “It all begins with the first step.” These claims are represented in this visual production through the inspirational music and the popular, easily recognizable people in the images. I believe that this is successfully expressed because giving examples through history, ties together the point about change and proves the argument. I think they would not have been more effective if expressed another way because if pictures of only random people walking would have bored the audience and lost the meaning.

4.         This visual production is predictable in the fact that all of the pictures, except for two pictures of signs, are of people walking. For a topic of the word walk, it is obvious that one puts in different types of walking. To be more discreet, I could have shown people walking away from opportunities, life, or a job which entails images of different actions than just the word walk. The walkers in the picture keeps the visual argument from becoming abstract or hidden and so supports the expressiveness of the production, but it can be too easy an argument to make therefore lessening its impact.

5. The order of visual images in a visual production is very important to get the argument across. Gunther Kress correctly connects time and space in videos of this nature. For my project, the images are timed so that the important pictures are longer and yet everything is timed to adequately match the music. The combination of audio and visual strengthens my argument increasingly. For example in the first half of my video, around every three to four seconds, a note is louder and stronger than the previous and so at that moment I changed to a new picture. Also, during the second half of the slide the good images of walking and the bad are placed so that when the Beatles sing goodbye, they say goodbye to the bad pictures enabling them to understand the difference and the meaning behind it. This makes the video flow better, keeps the audience’s attention, and makes them aware of the importance of each picture to connect to the whole.

6.   The visual productions I reviewed were largely successful. Most videos conveyed the message and also added emotional impact. Images definitely do what writing does and more. A visual production can be set up like a paper with an introductory image or two, followed by images that once connected, can make an argument. The main difference is that arguments made by images usually need more images or text to be understood. If you only saw a woman walking in my project, you would not understand my argument. But if you saw a woman walking alone and then later with a group, the message would become clearer but even more images would help. The fact that too many images confuse the audience does not harm the visual verses written argument because it is also valid that too many sentences in a paper can lose the reader. Writing does not convey meaning as quickly and effectively as images. Images do not have to be translated and usually one glance at a picture provides exceedingly more information than glancing at a page does. Also one has to concentrate more while reading to receive the full impact of the meaning and a mental image while one can generally watch a TV show and understand what is happening even if one zones out for a few minutes.

4-letter project

Taylor Mali

Performance or writing space plays a large role in the making of meaning. For example, if Mali's speech was handed to me on a piece of printed paper, I would think it cute but not funny or I might not have even understood the humor in it at all. This is why I saw this performance on you tube. A student made a Prezzi about it and tried to format Mali's facial expressions through the text in the Prezzi and he added the audio of the performance. The spoken word holds so many implications and hidden meanings in it that without the audio, the Prezzi would have fallen flat. Another example of hidden meanings in the spoken word is sarcasm. Sarcasm can never truly be obvious in text without writing the actual word, sarcastic, down. Therefore, writing space does play a large role in what it all means.

Bolter Proj. 2 Draft

Technology

Writing changes over time. It relies on technology that is remediated constantly through invention and public preferences.

Technology replaces technology. We often find that society is repudiated by the new technology until they quickly find out that they can’t live without it. This was apparent with the horseless carriage and printing machines. Handwriting was prevalent in the time before the Renaissance and was often used to copy books. This slow, odious, and meticulous work was replaced by printing machines that raised the distribution of books and drastically increased book learning. From a scribe having to copy each letter of a book into another book, to someone pulling  copying a page at a time, was large improvement. One feature of the new technology that was replicated from the old technology that deemed important is the style of the handwritten books. “Printing had the additional virtue that it could produce books that were nearly identical to the best manuscripts: the press rivaled handwriting in quality while far surpassing it in quantity” (Bolter, 14). “[t]he absence of any apparent change in product was combined with a complete change in methods of production, giving rise to the paradoxical combination of seeming continuity with radical change” (Bolter, 14).This was done to pacify the public but over time, the letters became thinner, easier to read, and cleaner.

Contrary to thought, public derision helps technological progress instead of hinders it. In Megan Allen’s group’s Prezi on chapter 1, they write, “Without people rejecting advancement such as the movement to electronic writing, there would be no reason to continue reinventing the writing process.” For example, when electronic books started coming out, the public was outraged. They refused to accept it, and they denounced it by pointing out its flaws. People complained about how with the new book one cannot read in the sunlight, there are no page numbers, the pictures are not in color, and so on. In response, the electronic book companies took the complaints and responded by adding these features and more until the product was so greatly improved that the people’s misgivings were overcome. Now everyone has a Kindle, iPad, eBook, or Nook.

However, the jump from the paper and pen to a computer did not go through this slow process of improvement. Instead, the technological change occurred so suddenly which is why digital technology is such a big adjustment from print. Previously, technologies went through remediation.

Boy and Girl words

Boy: gentleman, tool, douche, guy, dude, mack, man, boy, homie, bro, broski, broseph,broha, honey, macho,


Girl: lady, whore, slut, princess, angel, queen, cutie, cutie-pie, ginger, fairy, honey, sweetie, hoe, baby, harlot, concubine, bitch, trollop, tall drink of water

Images and Words

Images can do what words do. They do not have to be translated or explained or redefined for different peoples. But arguments are associated with speech. Speech is either written or oral becasue of propositions and sentences. Words, one can say, are only used for arguments; to get us to respond to them in a specific way, or twist our way of thinking for the author's purposes. Therefore images can communicate but can't do everything.

Babies and Magazines

Meddy uses text to direct and fill in the reader on what we should be taking away from the baby's struggles. The baby touches a magazine and is disappointed to find that it doesn't move, turn to a new page, or interact with her. She tests a different page and rationalizes that it must be her, she is the problem in this situation. Therefore she tests her pointer finger...no, that's not it. When given a ipad however, the picture moves and responds with every touch of her chubby, inexperienced, baby hands. This is relevant to writing because it is a clear example of technology replacing the printed page and how children are growing up with this switch in culture.

Fear of Writing Commentary

Catherine M's blog on the fear of writing was very inspirational and meaningful. She encourages readers to write instead of writing on her traumatic experience. This reveals that she pulls her words from deep inside her and finds solace in her abilities. On the other side of the spectrum, Mike B. challenges the reader to do and be better. He asks why anyone should be scared of writing and reflects that it results from being scared of oneself. Both blogs are meaningful and very well written.

Punctuation

Punctuation matters. It matters because if authors did not use punctuation, the readers' job's difficulty will increase tenfold. This is especially true for periods. I mean how hard will it be if I continued this sentence indefinitely because I did not feel like putting a dot at the end nor a comma or semicolon in the middle I think that as you continue reading this terrible run-on you will get the picture  not only can you not be able to tell which sentence is which you cannot fully comprehend my meaning because you will not be able to distinguish the pauses that separate parts of the sentences. How was that for an argument? And aren't you glad that I put a question mark at the end of that sentence? But Dennis Baron argues that punctuation is temporary but I argue that they still matter.

Frederick Starr

Starr uses many rhetorical moves in his "Rediscovering Asia" essay in Best American Essays but his most influencial one is his use of the passive voice. Instead of directly naming his subject in his assertions of Asia and the ones who need to rediscover it, he stands back from the issue. He knows that if he says who needs to change, he will offend many people; especially if the ones he is offending is us, the "stupid" Americans. Starr is writing to us after all and many great authors know that offending the reader is not the best strategy to being praised for his work.

Disneyland-Proj. 3

Disneyland

Laughter. Disney music. Cobblestone and the clip-clop of horse hooves. The smiles of the kids as they know that something wonderful and magical is about to happen. These are the first moments one experiences when first entering Walt Disney’s magical world of Adventure and Fantasy, Tomorrows and Frontiers. Meeting princess and screaming as one shoots through the stars, licking Mickey Ice Creams and singing with pirates soon follows. Disneyland is a theme park based on the imagination of Walt Disney and his animated characters. There are 7 sections in general: Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Fronteirland, Mickey’s Toontown, Critter Country, and New Orlean’s Square. As a whole, I absolutely love Disneyland. I have a lot of the merchandise and I start to itch to return to the park after about two months away. However,

My favorite part of Disneyland is the atmosphere. When you walk in, happy music is playing, everyone is smiling, and every cast member is out on Mainstreet trying to hi-five you. As you walk down the cobblestone and jump over the horse and carriage track, you wave to the Disney characters and ogle at the moving windows. The friendly beep-beep of the old motor-cars drifts over the crowds who practically skip down the street, excitedly concentrating on their goal: rides. Before the crowd disperses, one and all witnesses the marveling sight of Walt Disney himself in bronze welcoming his guests and holding the hand of an abnormally sized Mouse in front of the sparkling and bright castle. First one is drawn to the shiny flashes of the metallic space ships circling some planets. Next the rustic log cabin look of Adventureland, its wooden bridge and fence leading to every type of attraction from fast rides like Indiana Jones and slow like the Jungle Cruise.  All the way to the left, at the end of the visual scan around the center of Disneyland is Frontierland in which you can see lazy, dusty, tan porches and hear gunshots and “yeehaws” in the distance.

Rhetorical Moves

I keep thinking about my project 3 and I'm pretty sure my next move will be to use more active verbs. I will try to engage the audience and to make my paper more interesting at the same time. Right now my paper is in passive voice to refrain from offending the audience. Instead of offending, though, my paper is boring them and so turning them away. In just changing around my sentences and naming my focus, I will enliven my essay and make reading my oppposing views fun.

A sentence is like...

A sentence is like a rope. A tightrope no less; being stretched and strung and set, calculated and measured to perfection. A person's life is based on this. This singular action creates tension, the walker stretches and steadies himself; waiting for the moment, ready for the time to take the first step. One foot up, the mind whirls, trying to keep balance, asking if it is worth it to raise the other foot. Are the circumstances set? Can he walk? The drums pound out the anticipation and he is moving along the edge of the safety and the plunge. Walking across the line occurs in absolute silence, will he make it? Can he prove himself worthy? And the crowd goes wild, and the tightrope walker breathes a sigh of relief.

Visions of Students Today

Michael Wesch's argument is that the world is in trouble and education is not helping. To deal with world issues, many turn to technology, while others send their sons and daughters to college. But technology is used for social aspects instead of work and college does not prepare students for real life. Students know this and so use technology to escape from class while sitting in it. Education has changed from the 19th century. Instead of books, there are laptops that cost more than some people; instead of doing, there is sitting; instead of knowledge, students leave with debt.

Word cloud

<a href="http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/4302725/Bolter_Cloud" 
          title="Wordle: Bolter Cloud"><img
          src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/4302725/Bolter_Cloud"
          alt="Wordle: Bolter Cloud"
          style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd"></a>

Home is like...

Home is like a cage. It is safe but it is unhappy and undesirable. If I come back home for good, I have failed. If I lose my gpa then I am sentenced home, if I don't get a job after college then I am sentenced home, if I do anything wrong I am sentenced home. If I don't get a 3.0 this semester I go home to my parents' new downsized house, next to the high school I despise, near the neighbors who talk. The only time a cage is preferable is when I am lonely; then it is like the last wood pole holding up the tree house in the backyard. But right now the thought of coming home is like a thorn in my wing, I do not want to be sentenced back to my wire cage, back to my prison, back to my home.
Home is not like the sanctuary.
It is not like the wind in the grass. Nor the first bite into a Reeces peanut butter cup. It is not like a sleeping swan or a trip to Disneyland. Home is not like the songbird nor the warmth of a blanket.

Home is not like the first bite of a Reece's peanut butter cup. It is not like the slight resistance of the hard edge of chocolate before the sinking into the soft middle. It is not like the crunch of the peanut butter combining with the smooth, silky mix of cocoa, enhancing the taste of peanut and enriching the senses. Home is not the careful process of making sure that there is enough peanut butter per chocolate. It is not the feeling of happiness and warmth that stay on the palate long after the last swallow. It is not the licking of the fingers, consuming every last particle of chocolate. And home is definitely not the comforting knowledge that there is another Reece's in the package waiting to be enjoyed.

Home might be like the wind in the grass. Wind can be peaceful and soothing- like the image of the deaf violinist in a field or in August Rush when the boy too connects to nature and hears music in the wind. It can be beautiful but it can also be terrible and frightening. Wind can whip around your house as if searching for a way inside, trying to hurt you. It can threaten to blow you away.  It can try to stop you, hinder you, push you back- keep you away from your goal. It can blind you. Wind can also be depressing. It can sound "wuthering" or like crying, desperate to be somewhere, desperate to get out.

Inkshedding Sample K

"The medium is the message." This is what writing teachers reiterate throughout high school. What do they mean by this? Why do they believe that mediums are such a necessity because they change how we understand things?  Jay Bolter continues this argument by stating that the audience is always aware of the medium. And it is this factor that changes how the work is viewed, the message comes across, and the point of a piece. A piece that is created where the medium disappears will be viewed different than a piece where the medium is noticeable. For example, Bolter includes page cues in his book directing readers to other sections, much like hyperlinks. This makes the reader aware that they do not have to follow linearly. One way to receive favorable reviews from the audience is to incorporate them into the medium itself. This allows them to have a feeling of control. The radio uses this method by allowing their listeners to call in to argue their thoughts and ideas with the (usually outspoken) host. This incorporation is important because it makes the audience feel important and therefore gain their business. For this reason, incorporation is commonly found in many media forms.

Reading Quiz Redo

Jay Bolter in "Writing Space" condemns the end of the printed text. The very first quote is of how the printed book will destroy the church's method of learning through artwork like stained glass and the cathedral's beautiful architecture. He states, "The cathedral was a library ot be read..." Today, in cathedrals and other places to worship, the windows illuminates the pages of the books that the students learn from rather than teach the students themselves. Another way Bolter condemns print, is to accurately state that authors want their manuscripts published in print. Authors feel that to be published online is a wast of talent, because online writing are not valued as highly as a phisical object as a book can. "Both as authors and as readers, we still regard books and journals as the place to locate our most prestigious texts." Computer screens are no replacement to a page in a book and online is not a replacement for printed texts.

D. John Edgor Whiteman

       D. John Whiteman is an author of over 20 fiction and nonfiction books and is currently working on Fathers and Sons. He depicts eternal and internal struggles in a voice that can't be pinned down. He upholds teaching and causes students to remark, "He writes like we talk!" Whiteman won too many awards to be listed in five consecutive minutes and he displays a depiction of life that is at once beautiful and crude.
       Fathers and Sons is about an orphan in Philadelphia who confronts racial equality and the summer of 1955. Throughout the story, Whiteman uses newspapers to enhance the plot and two examples of this is Emmett Trill's murder and the Philadelphia fire. As an author he is focused on the "unacceptable" in our world. He wonders how we maintain our dignity with all of the evil and things that should not be permitted by our humanity.

Writing Space Ch. 2 Prezi

http://prezi.com/csy1yijx6gmz/writing-space-by-bolter-ch-2/

Writingphobia

I am afraid of writing; but not as much as Jacques Derrida. I am afraid that I will pour out a little of my heart and soul into a paper, and I will get rejected. It is a candle-snuffing feeling, as if a balloon full of air is popped. But when I feel like I am judged what I should be judged, I always know when I do not write a great paper, I am elated. When I am writing for my future self, however, I am never scared. I rush to put pen to paper, I rush to commit my thoughts and experiences to immortality, I rush to keep every detail in order. I know I will accurately judge myself, that I will be kind and thoughtful, that my reader will understand even if I do not make sense. Jacques Derrida does not have this warm feeling about writing. He knows that the reactions to his favorite form of writing could be disgust and rage. He is walking into the unknown, blindfolded, and danger lurks in every shadow. In the night, this thought forces itself upon him, and he is paralyzed until the part of his conscience that channels the views of society is dulled.

Prezi by me, Matia, and Kelsey

http://prezi.com/blx15x9zel0t/closure/

 Enjoy!

The Machine

     Michael Wesch's video claims that writing is a technology and I believe this to be true. Technology is created to make our lives easier and writing most certainly does. It allows us to communicate with people across the world; especially when it is combined with other forms of technology like computers. Writing enables our thoughts and ideas to stay with us long after we move on from the subject instead of being forgotten. It is also a form of self-expression that transcends the ties of time. Not only is writing a technology, but it is the best form of technology.

Also:
slap
slow slop sled sling slang sleezy slot slip sleet sleep slat slut slumber slouch slide slope sloth
sl-has a downward slope

"True Confessions"

                John Trimble urges writers to consider diction. His three main points of diction is conciseness, vigorous verbs, and freshness. The one topic that I need to especially take into account is vigorous verbs. As a self-appointed mediocre writer, I acknowledge that my papers are rather boring, despite the time and effort I put into each assignment. I have always written concisely. I feel as if I am a lovely writer in my head but I have so much trouble getting the pre-constructed phrases and meanings out, that the result morphs into a Jekyll while I pictured a Hyde. I am only allowed one point of diction to improve myself by or else I might of also chose freshness. I try very hard to make my papers interesting, inserting my sense of irony and humor into my sentences, but for some reason the overall writing falls flat. This I have finally realized is because of my non-vigorous verbs. This is the part of the assignment that I blame my education, however I do assert that I have never been taught active voice. When one of my C&E teachers unleashes our essays from normal constraints, enabling us to write any way that we would wish, I am paralyzed. I automatically start off the essay in a stiff, formal, and inconsequential tone of voice which has been programmed into me so that I would not offend anyone. This paper forward, I will strive to use verbs that inspire the reader’s confidence in my work and also in me. Using verbs that delight the senses through written words, I will start to create writing assignments that will be active, fun, and intelligent.

FFW 9/16 A Mundane Glimpse into my Writing Process

    A Mundane Glimpse into my Writing Process. My writing process, like Chel White's, happens in a sequence. First I sit down and stare blankly at my monitor screen. Then I check to make sure the lighting won't inadvertently blind me. Then I turn on my laptop. Then I open Microsoft Word and I pay strict attention while it loads. Once it is ready, I let my mind wander and my eyes become unfocused. I adjust my chair and aimlessly wonder if by writing my paper while I sit instead on my bed, I would think better or just fall asleep. Realizing I was stalling, I drum the keys; deleting any letter that actually is pressed. I think over the prompt, sigh, look at the clock. My subconscious gives my conscious the sign that I am ready, that I have something to write and I stare away from my screen and type furiously. I take away all of the red and green lines under a numerous amount of my words, refocus, and review what I wrote. I distract myself with the time- did I miss a meal or event, or was three hours enough time to get ready for going out? I acknowledge my silliness and fix, add, and revise my paper until I am done! Whew. Though my Mundane Glimpse is not even remotely as life-threatening as A Painful Glimpse, it is still a long, strenuous process for me and I am always glad when it is over!

Old Spice Commercial- I Am On a Horse

           “I could be the man your man can smell like.” These are the words of the quirky, laudable Old Spice commercial that lifted the company’s image and revenue dramatically. The commercial is an intricate web of scenes and digital special affects, creating a lovable commercial of a single actor who stays in place while seemingly walks through and interacts in many different settings. The one aspect of the video that is continuous throughout the advertisement is that Isaiah Mustafa stares at the viewer in a hypnotic, non-creepy way.

           “Smell like a man, man” is the logo of the deodorant company and so Mustafa exalts in his manliness by comparing himself to the audience’s man. “Look at your man, now back to me, now back to your man, now back to me.” While this conversation is occurring in a shower room, Mustafa turns his head slightly, back and forth as if acknowledging the directions he is amiably issuing to the audience. And yet he still keeps his eyes fixed on the audience and their eyes fixed on him. Then he walks two spaces to his left and suddenly, Mustafa is on a boat, in a shirtless sailing outfit, in the middle of the sea. Replacing the Old Spice bottle he was grasping, he now holds an oyster full of tickets “to that thing that you love,” next cascading diamonds, and then back to Old Spice bottle. All of the quick changes of product and setting keeps the audience making the unconscious connection between the items, suggesting the rise of value of Old Spice, and also causing the feeling that they will miss something if they dare look away. This makes the audience desperate to catch every second of the commercial. All the while, Mustafa’s eyes never left the audience, retaining their focus, and in the end he smirks, as if now aware of all of the focus on him, and remarks casually that he is on a horse.

12 "Right" Questions and The Right Question (Heineken)

Hansel and Gretel and a GPS

1 Why they chose Hansel and Gretel?
2 Why Breadcrumbs instead of shiny stones?
3 Why isn't the commercial more realistic?
4 Why the annoying music?
5 Why a big city?
6 Why aren't there words until the end?
7 Why are they stepping together?
8 Why are they coming out of the subway?
9 What is the target audience?
10 What is this trying to say about children?
11Why would a commercial take advantage of a fairytale?
12 Is a fairytale happy if a witch died?

Heisen Beer Commercial

1 Why is the commercial in German?
2 Why is it set up as 1/3 product?
3 Why the comparison of clothes and beer?
4 Why are the women surprised about the guys reaction to beer?
5 Why are the women given a tour of the house?
6 Why is there a party going on?
7 Why is the first place they stop at a closet?
8 Why is it a big house?
9 What is the logo of Heisen?
10 Why is there only one type of beer?
11 Why is the host only showing the rooms only bringing three friends?
12 Why are the guy's reaction exactly the same as the women's?

The "Right" Question for the Heineken Beer Commercial

                Heineken is a beer company whose motto is “serving the public.” Hence one of their commercials depicts the men of the party being equally ecstatic about a closet full of beer as the women are over an extensive closet full of clothes. Thus, both parties are equally served.
The right question about this commercial is: why are the guys screaming exactly like the girls? The phrase “you scream like a girl” is a well-known insult to men and so for a group of men to publicly express themselves like is rare. The answer is that Heineken wanted to prove that when a guy finds something he really loves- he wouldn’t care expressing himself similarly to the opposite gender. Naturally it follows that what men love is Heineken beer. It is a popular stereotype that women die over shoes and that men spend tons of money on ever larger TVs to better view the game. In contrast, in this commercial, the male host spent tons and tons of money installing a walk-in refrigeration unit just to hold his massive supply of beer.
Also the best and coolest commercial ever:

They wanted to prove that there were other products that men can fall in love with that can be worth a whole closet full of shoes and clothes. Also, the view of men screaming essentially like a girl produces enough shock from the audience to cause the average viewer to stop and watch the commercial. The men scream, cry, and jump up and down without any shame, giving the male viewers the message this specific beer is worth making a spectacle of themselves and opening themselves up for the teasing and jokes that are sure to follow. Heineken beer is just so good that it turns the average man into publicly looking like screaming girls.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

Hansel and Gretel’s Big Adventure

            AT&T created a thirty-second commercial that used frightened and lost children, who innocently tried throwing a food product to get home from a day alone in a city, to display the dangers of not buying their technology. The video advertisement used Hansel and Gretel's story of throwing breadcrumbs to show the futility of using any other system of navigation than AT&T's.

 Hansel and Gretel, contrary to the commercial, actually succeeded in returning home after finding themselves lost. Whereas the children in the video are completely doomed when their means of direction are eaten and they are wandering the streets at night. In the story, the siblings had overheard their parents’ plan to leave them in the forest and so Hansel prepared for the occasion by collecting shiny pebbles that glittered in the moonlight to lead them back. It is only after Hansel is locked inside the house prior to being deserted in the forest the second time, that they got lost through throwing bread crumbs as an alternative. In the commercial though, AT&T completely ignored the part of the fable that included the children’s insight and resourcefulness, so as to make their product seem all the more necessary for the prevention of being lost and alone in dangerous territory. If it instead displayed the kids getting home perfectly fine by using their own method despite it taking all night, then the phone would seem nice and useful to the public but definitely not imperative to survival. Hansel and Gretel, at the end of the thirty seconds, were truly adrift and afraid with nothing to guide them home. Then all of the sudden the old-fashioned looking girl pulls out the brand-new lightning fast AT&T gps devise and the children are joyful again. For the kids now know that they are safe and are going to be okay. So they gleefully go skipping down the streets of downtown, in a foreign city, in the dark, at night, by themselves, as long as they have their gps. AT&T used their own version of a classic tale to exponentially heighten the necessity and impact of their phone.

FFW: John Trimble and the Warriors

John Trimble makes the case that all writers are like warriors, defending claims and fortifying arguments but I do not believe that all writers are like warriors. Warriors, though skilled in defense, are not skilled in other John Trimble writing techniques. Warriors do not try to appease their oppponents with sentences, or in this case, sword movements that are easy to understand. They do not perform action sequences that are easy on the eye to make viewing the warriors' performance more agreeable. Also they do not try to emphathize with their viewer to unerstand how they can make killing them better and more emotionally sound. In conclusion, writers examine their sentence structure, paragraph length, and the readers' emotions to better themselves and warriors do not.

Pantene Commercial

      Pantene is a hair care product company that uses commercial advertising to spread their logo and message to a wider audience. One popular Pantene commercial accomplishes this through the alleged remarkable transformation of a deaf girl learning to play violin, embodying Pantene's butterfly logo and their message to shine.
      The girl's dream of playing violin is impeded by her inability to hear and the bullying she receives for her differences. Her outlook is symbolized by the grey color tone of the commercial and it continues until the girl's life changes dramatically. She finds a friend, imagines violin music in her mind, and even rivals another musician in her school. During this transformation of caterpillar to butterfly, the commercial is increasingly pierced by color and light until at last the girl breaks free from her social inadequacies. With the help of Pantene, the downhearted heroine shines in a competition, whips her beautiful hair, and is applauded by the world. Without Pantene, the whole story plot would have been exposed to be a fake and an implausible fairytale.

Stalking

So here I am at Hofstra and I am blogging.  Writing online makes me feel...stalked. I am sending my personal writings into the world and strangers are gooing to intentionally click on my link and read what I have to say! I would feel famous if there weren't 12 milllion other blogs out there shouting to also be read so I can't claim any glory I guess. You know people warn you of cyber stalking but I haven't met a girl who talked about Facebook that didn't bashfully admit to "following people to see what they were doing-- but not in a stalkerish way!" I'm sorry but i'd have to say that it is stalking if you track down people through a veriaty of technology ways. I mean America in general is a stalker country! There is Twitter, Facebook, cell phones, texting... when was the last time you didn't know exaclty where your friend was? If tthe Statue of Libery could put down that extremely cumbersome torch of hers, wouldn't she immediatley reach into the folds of her gown to the pocket in which she keeps her iPhone? I can picture it! She would text the Statue in Las Vegas and would say wish I were there. But its okay. I admit to having a Facebook account so please don't get offended. I just think its ironic that when I go out to dinner with my family and each member automatically pulls out a cellular device and tries to mentally be somewhere else. Oh well, more Pizooki for me.