At the beginning of this school year, we had to develop an ideal American citizen on Facebook and described characteristics of this said person. My citizen was a student at Ohio State, who was a member of the Republican party and a Rastafarian. My citizen watched a variety of shows to try and cover all bases and listened to all genres of music. I would not change too much about my citizen now, although I would change his religion to Christian because that is the more accepted and one of the most prevalent religions in American society. Aside from that, I feel my citizen was very well rounded and someone who could get by successfully in society. I think the change I made is one that would make the more my citizen more able to be respected in society. I think the reading about the difference between normal and ideal by Michael Warner is very interested. It really makes a good point about what is normal compared to what is ideal. Normal is just a word that shows people fit into statistics. No one should really worry about being normal. Ideal is a lot different and it can be different based on what you believe. I do not think my citizen would be normal just because of the vast variety of interest, but to me he is ideal. Who cares about being normal...there is no reason to have to fit into mold just to make some statistics come true.
I have learned a lot in this class about writing and research while dealing with the rhetoric of service and activism. I have learned about the steps of writing analytically as opposed to the 5 paragraph method that I have been taught my whole life. I learned to analyze things piece by piece and relate them back to a main idea as opposed to generalizing things. I believe all these things tie together in a very unique way. My ideal citizen has many small parts that bring him together as a whole, just like the course theme all tied together in being an activist for a bigger cause.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Writers Blog 3
I am writing about an abortion campagin that I saw set up on the Ohio State campus about a month ago near Independence Hall. The things I saw that day still stick out in my mind today so I feel it is appropiate to write about it. There was a large demonstration that had a variety of graphic images to try and get stuck in the publics mind. It certainly worked on me because I still remember the gruesome images to this day. The set-up did not involve much of anything besides the pictures, and a few brochures that the public could pick up but it was still a very successful demonstration.
The rhetoric used by the set up of many images is one that may have been more successful had they had someone there speaking, or presented me with more facts about abortion rather than just a bunch of pictures. I feel like this could have been much more persuasive and informative had there been someone there preaching about the groups view on abortion or having someone there to ask questions about. It is hard to get the full effect of something when you can only view things without asking questions and discovering what you want to know. However, if I would have to write on this topic I could still formulate enough evidence using those pictures to write a constructive paper.
The rhetoric used by the set up of many images is one that may have been more successful had they had someone there speaking, or presented me with more facts about abortion rather than just a bunch of pictures. I feel like this could have been much more persuasive and informative had there been someone there preaching about the groups view on abortion or having someone there to ask questions about. It is hard to get the full effect of something when you can only view things without asking questions and discovering what you want to know. However, if I would have to write on this topic I could still formulate enough evidence using those pictures to write a constructive paper.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
(Un) Media Analysis
The poem "Self Evident" is a very powerful poem written by someone who presents themselves as an American citizen who is fed up with the government and how it let September 11 happen. The author tries appealing to the audience by making it a very blunt and to the point piece of writing and speaking in terms that we are able to understand. I believe the author's target audience was all of the every day American citizens because it states how we used to just go about living in this world thinking how powerful we are, only to be devastated by the 9/11 attacks. She makes former President George W. Bush out to be the villain as well saying he cheated to win the election. She also compares the government agencies to the KGB which I feel is a bit extreme.
I personally feel this poem has a couple of purposes. The first is to point out how America thought it was too good for anything to happen to it so the attacks on 9/11 were really a wake up call. I agree with that aspect of it. However, I felt another point of it was to attack the government and try and shift the blame of what happened onto them. I feel like this method of writing is one that may not be very effective because it presents a very one sided, biased piece. The writer was clearly a democrat, so myself being a Republican, it made me look at the writing a little differently and not take it with as much value as I would have if it would have been more neutral. Although I think it is important to try and persuade your audience to believe in your point of view, I think this author was a little too one sided.
As I stated earlier, I think the topic of this poem does influence my above answers because I already have a personal opinion on this issue so it may be hard for an author to try and sway what I believe in.
I personally feel this poem has a couple of purposes. The first is to point out how America thought it was too good for anything to happen to it so the attacks on 9/11 were really a wake up call. I agree with that aspect of it. However, I felt another point of it was to attack the government and try and shift the blame of what happened onto them. I feel like this method of writing is one that may not be very effective because it presents a very one sided, biased piece. The writer was clearly a democrat, so myself being a Republican, it made me look at the writing a little differently and not take it with as much value as I would have if it would have been more neutral. Although I think it is important to try and persuade your audience to believe in your point of view, I think this author was a little too one sided.
As I stated earlier, I think the topic of this poem does influence my above answers because I already have a personal opinion on this issue so it may be hard for an author to try and sway what I believe in.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Facebook Prompt
Here is the link to my ideal American citizen, Shadley F. Broger. http://www.facebook.com/editpicture.php?success=1#/profile.php?id=1005106503&ref=profile
If you are wondering where I got such an odd name, it is the name of one of my room mates but some letters switched around. The picture is of him as well.
My ideal American citizen is a student here at Ohio State, studying molecular genetics. I feel this is one of the hardest but important majors that there could be. He is a member of the Republican party because that is where my allegiance lies. I know that the ideal political views would be someone who is not partisan to either party, but I think that is impossible in today’s world. His religious views are Rastafarian because I think this it the most laid back, relaxed religion that just takes the world for how it comes and doesn't let anything bother them.
As far as activities go, he is interested in a variety of things that I feel make a well rounded citizen. Golfing, writing music, and playing lacrosse are among those activities and I feel they allow Mr. Broger to engage in all types of things. I felt it necessary for Shadley to engage himself in all types of entertainment as far watching television and listening to music goes. He watches every day shows like Sportscenter and The Price is Right, along with weekly shows that range from 24 and Rescue Me to Laguna Beach and The Hills. Some of these shows may not be what most people would consider ideal, but this allows him to be knowledgeable in all aspects of television. I took the same approach when deciding his favorite music. The range goes from hardcore metal with Metallica, to some rap with Kid Cudi, all the way to some country and jazz with Taylor Swift and John Coltrane. I believe the ideal person is one that does not exclude any type of music from their listening pleasure and these artists back that up.
I took the same approach with books and movies too. Enjoying all different types of movies from comedies like Happy Gilmore, to classics like Forrest Gump and The Patriot. As far as books go, I don't really think the ideal citizen should have to waste time reading books because they should be out conquering the world day by day, but I listed a couple of historically popular books there. His favorite quote, "I play for keeps," stems from a popular Will Ferrell movie and is the way to live life. Although some of my ideas of an ideal American citizen may not be the same as most, I tried to have a little fun with this and create a well rounded individual.
If you are wondering where I got such an odd name, it is the name of one of my room mates but some letters switched around. The picture is of him as well.
My ideal American citizen is a student here at Ohio State, studying molecular genetics. I feel this is one of the hardest but important majors that there could be. He is a member of the Republican party because that is where my allegiance lies. I know that the ideal political views would be someone who is not partisan to either party, but I think that is impossible in today’s world. His religious views are Rastafarian because I think this it the most laid back, relaxed religion that just takes the world for how it comes and doesn't let anything bother them.
As far as activities go, he is interested in a variety of things that I feel make a well rounded citizen. Golfing, writing music, and playing lacrosse are among those activities and I feel they allow Mr. Broger to engage in all types of things. I felt it necessary for Shadley to engage himself in all types of entertainment as far watching television and listening to music goes. He watches every day shows like Sportscenter and The Price is Right, along with weekly shows that range from 24 and Rescue Me to Laguna Beach and The Hills. Some of these shows may not be what most people would consider ideal, but this allows him to be knowledgeable in all aspects of television. I took the same approach when deciding his favorite music. The range goes from hardcore metal with Metallica, to some rap with Kid Cudi, all the way to some country and jazz with Taylor Swift and John Coltrane. I believe the ideal person is one that does not exclude any type of music from their listening pleasure and these artists back that up.
I took the same approach with books and movies too. Enjoying all different types of movies from comedies like Happy Gilmore, to classics like Forrest Gump and The Patriot. As far as books go, I don't really think the ideal citizen should have to waste time reading books because they should be out conquering the world day by day, but I listed a couple of historically popular books there. His favorite quote, "I play for keeps," stems from a popular Will Ferrell movie and is the way to live life. Although some of my ideas of an ideal American citizen may not be the same as most, I tried to have a little fun with this and create a well rounded individual.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)