Assignment 11

 

Assignment 11

Questions about Audience

What does the composer assume the audience knows or believes?

Stein assumes and expects us to know a little bit about a lot. She expects us to be familiar the founders of Apple, the Macintosh personal computer, Apple’s competition, George Orwell’s 1984 novel, an array of different movies, and a little about advertising.

“Titled ‘1984,’ the ad evokes the dystopic George Orwell novel of the same name, with its Big Brother figure ceaselly intoning the slogans of Newspeak.” (Stein 279)

This quote is proof that she expects us to be familiar with George Orwell’s novel, 1984. I know this because she never wrote about the book beforehand. She never wrote about Big Brother, or Winston, or Oceania, or anything. She just made a reference to it and expected us to know what she was pertaining to.

Questions about Purpose

Is the purpose clearly stated or easy to determine? If not, why might the composer have decided not to make the purpose obvious?

According to Stein, she wrote, “The, ‘1984’ Macintosh Ad: Cinematic Icons and Constitutive Rhetoric in the Launch of a New Machine,” to give her audience a better “understanding of the integral role ads play in contributing to and drawing on ideological and cultural discourse.” (Stein 280) She wants to examine how ads borrow from the underlying culture but also change that culture at the same time. That’s the most obvious purpose.

I think her purpose was unclear because she expects her audience to argue against her points and to maybe form new ideas. For all intents and purposes, this whole class revolves around interpreting text, and that’s why she wrote this article the way she did. She expects us to study and interpret her essay as we would any other critical examination academic essay.

Questions about Context

Is the composer respectful of the audience, treating them as intelligent, thoughtful people?

Stein is very respectful of us. She does treat us as intelligent and thoughtful people. If this wasn’t true, this essay would be easier to read. On that note, she wrote this essay, fully expecting us to read it thoroughly, to break it down into little pieces, and in the end, understand her resolve.  

Stein’s decisions to write to us specifically, to make her purpose unclear, and to treat us as thoughtful and intelligent individuals all affected my interpretation of the text. Put simply, all of these choices made reading her essay really difficult to read. And this goes back to the point I was trying to make before. She demands a lot out of us. She expects us to think critically about the subject, be thoughtful and to come to a deeper understanding of the role of advertisements play in today’s culture.

Assigment 11

Group Work Reflection

Paige and I worked really well together. Once we were assigned our topic for our one pager, which was, ‘The Rhetorical Context of the “1984” Ad, we immediately went to work and started brainstorming. Together, we decided to focus on technophobia, Stein’s comparisons between anti big government and anti-corporate supporters, and the Association of American Advertising Agencies’ attempt to reengage cynical viewers.

I don’t think Paige and I had any problems working together because our ideas were in sync or in tune with one another. Having said that, I think some people may find it difficult to work with another person because those two people do not have the same ideologies, morals, and rules to which they live their lives by. Additionally, two people can have the same goal in mind, but just have different opinions on what path to take to reach that goal. I see this a lot when I watch the show, “Celebrity Apprentice”. Sometimes, the contestants work really well together and sometimes they don’t.  

The recipe for a good working relationship is similar personalities, ideas, sense of humor, and patience. If two people do not share these commonalities, they probably need a little bit more patience.

With all that said, I think studying with another person is always a good idea. Studying with other people allows us to come up with new ideas as well as bounce ideas we have come up with, with others.

The group that focused on, ‘The Rhetorical History of the Macintosh,’ for their one pager intrigued me with the quotes they decided to use as well as the art that painted a picture of what those quotes said. I thought this group did an overall really good job. The quotes they used are the ones I would have chosen had I been assigned the same topic. I actually highlighted these quotes when I first read it. One of them reads, “Apple’s origins grew out of such a sensibility and reflected the early manufacturer of personal computers as a sort of cottage industry.” The picture they drew of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak is a good representation of this quote.

Their question is, “Since Apple was a small company at the time, do you think this helped their revolution?” In my opinion, I don’t think the size of their company did all that much to help them with their revolution. I think it was a combination of things that helped them with their revolution. I think what really helped them more than anything was in fact the “1984” ad and their desire to create a personal computer that ultimately undermined IBM’s authority in the computer industry.

The group that focused on Stein’s, ‘Introduction,’ did a really good job of capturing the very essence that is Stein’s introduction. In their one pager, they included a quote from Stein’s essay that said, “In retrospect, it was a defining moment, not only for the heralded computer revolution but also of what has become our media landscape.” In addition, they described Stein’s reasons for writing the essay, which was to give society a better understanding of the important role ads play in ideological and cultural discourses.

 Stein’s use of comparable media examples to the “1984” Macintosh ad and her interpretation of the ad that limits itself to the constructs of Charland’s, Goldman’s, and Benjamin’s theoretical frameworks helped me to better understand the meaning and purpose of her essay. I will elaborate on this more in my interpretive essay, but this is my controlling purpose.

Assignment 10

Assignment 10

Questions

·        Why does she specifically use the theoretical frameworks of Maurice Charland, Robert Goldman, and Walter Benjamin to analyze the Macintosh Ad?

·        How does Stein explain the use of constitutive rhetoric in her analysis?

·        Why does Stein constantly write about extreme/advanced capitalism?

For example, on page 297, she wrote, “She equally represents a political figure, one aware of the repressive powers of advanced capitalism and willing to use revolutionary tactics in response.”

·        Is she relating the woman in the commercial to Winston in George Orwell’s 1984 novel?

Summary

               The “1984” Macintosh Ad: Cinematic Icons and Constitutive Rhetoric in the Launch of a New Machine by Sarah R. Stein is an extensive critical examination of the Macintosh Ad. In this extensive critical examination she gives a description of the commercial, writes about the theoretical frameworks that describes the content of the commercial more thoroughly, provides a rhetorical history of the Macintosh, describes the rhetorical context of the time the “1984” advertisement was released, and gives her final analysis and conclusion. The final analysis and conclusion sum up everything she already wrote about in her essay and gives an insight into her personal opinions.

Questions

1. Why do you think Stein might have wanted to research and write this essay?

Stein wrote this essay because the Macintosh Ad had never been subjected to such extensive critical examination before and she felt it needed to be.  Also, she was a great resource for academics like us to go to for information at the time this essay was written. Unlike now, the internet was not as great of a resource for researching as it is today. Additionally, she wanted to study the effects society and advertising have on each other. Stein wanted to know whether society was the independent variable or dependent variable.

2. What do you think she might have hoped readers would feel, think, or do while and after reading it?

I think Stein expects and hopes that anybody who reads her essay will be appreciative of the in depth analysis of the advertisement. The ad has been admired ever since it came out, but until Stein wrote this essay it was never criticized. Her criticism of the Mac ad allows for a better critical interpretation.

Personally, I really enjoyed her comparison between the Mac Ad and Blade Runner, the Wizard of Oz, the Terminator, Metropolis, and of course George Orwell’s 1984 novel. These comparisons gave me a better understanding of the Mac ad and her essay.

This excerpt from her essay led me to my answers for the previous questions: Although the “1984” ad has been the subject of ongoing popular media attention, it has not been subjected to extensive critical examination. It’s standing as a rhetorical text of enduring power and status warrants a closer look at its internal dynamics as well as its cultural impact, and criticism provides the means by which this may be accomplished. In examining this text for its complex interweaving of ideologies and cinematic icons that elevated the cold rationality of a machine into the realm of fantasy and the mythic, this essay contributes to an understanding of the integral role ads play in contributing to and drawing on ideological and cultural discourse.  

Assignment 9

Assignment 9

My target audiences for both of my interpretive essays are my peers and the professors who will be grading my final portfolio. It was their age, level of education, upbringing, gender, and knowledge of the topics that I had to keep in mind when writing these two papers. Thankfully, writing to this audience was not too difficult of a task because the group discussions gave me a sense of just how much everyone knew about the two different stories. And they allowed me to hear each and everyone’s individual response to Standing By and Lifelike. My own writing works to build relationships with these people because I took into account all this necessary information to write a productive essay. Also, my paper was not radical or reactionary in any way, so anyone can read my paper and understand the message I am trying to convey without being offended. Or they will not feel the need to dispute anything I have to say. The majority of my peers’ beliefs are consistent with what I believe in, so that made writing these two papers a lot more easy as well than it would have been had I been trying to build a relationship with a different audience. All of us are academics with the same goal in mind of achieving a degree, so I think we are better prepared to appreciate what another person has to say without being too argumentative.

               Here is an example of my efforts to build a relationship with my audience. This is my introduction for the first interpretive essay.

               Everywhere people go, people judge others based on their occupation, political party preference, ethnic heritage, appearance, race, religion, gender, creed, and even the clothes they decide to wear. People may not always be aware that they do it, and that’s because most people do it subconsciously. Without being completely aware of what they are doing, people tend to judge others based on their appearance, match that appearance with a certain stereotype, put that person in a certain group given the stereotype, and then compare that person to themself. It’s an innate, human habit that David Sedaris suggest all people may have and he unveils this idea in his story, “Standing By”. He also brings up the idea that, perhaps the airport is a forum that allows people to show their true hateful selves. This is the message I believe Sedaris was trying to get across to his readers. I believe he wants his readers to think twice before judging others. I believe he wants his readers to not judge others based on their appearance. He successfully conveys this message of his story by recreating an atmosphere that most people can relate to, using humor, using characters that most can relate to, as well as putting the reader in situations that are very familiar and hilariously so.              

               I am going to include more “I” statements to improve the quality of my paper. In both of my interpretive papers, I am very well removed from my writing. It is an interpretive essay, so therefore I need to give my readers a better sense of who I am and what I have experienced, so that my writing becomes more credible.  

Assignment 8

Assignment 8

I wasn’t actually all that surprised by my fellow students reactions to Lifelike. We all seemed to formulate the same ideas and opinions about the article. For example, many of us were very confused about her decision to integrate many disturbing quotes into her essay and at the same time, compliment many of the taxidermists for their skillfulness, hard work, and dedication. This made her whole article very difficult to understand. Nobody knew what to think after reading through it. We did not know whether she gained an appreciation for taxidermy or whether she added those disturbing quotes so that her readers’ beliefs would be reconfirmed.  Additionally, she made many other writerly choices that raised a lot of questions. For instance, why did she write about the history of taxidermy, why did she write about the taxidermy site, why did she write about all the different people who take up taxidermy, or why did she make a biblical reference at the end of her essay? All these different writerly choices raised a lot of questions. Her reasons for doing any of this did not seem clear. But once I read Lifelike many times over and over, it finally started to make since. She wrote this article to support and promote taxidermy.

She did include in her essay many quotes that seemed very disturbing, but she only did this because she wanted to give an accurate description of the environment she was in. She also did not want to lose her credibility as an author. The New Yorker audience would probably be a lot less inclined to read her article if they knew she was biased. If her audience wanted a more biased article they would have chosen to read something written by the PETA organization or the NRA organization. But because she seems so impartial, she does not lose her credibility as an author. Despite the fact that she included these quotes, which may at first make her seem impartial, I think she was not being impartial and that she was promoting taxidermy through her writing.

There is one more thing I would like to comment on and that is that she wrote this paper because she simply loves to write. I listened to a speech she once gave to a group of people that is viewable on You Tube and in that speech she said that she loves to write because she loves telling stories and providing her readers with a more in depth look at whatever it is that she is writing about. Although, the internet can provide us with all the information we need to learn about anything, she can offer so much more. She can give us a beautifully written story filled with emotion and feeling, and not just a list of facts.  

Assignment 7

 Assignment 7

Why did Susan Orlean cover the history of taxidermy in her essay?

At first, I was not exactly sure as to why she revealed the history of taxidermy in her essay. But after reading over the content of the essay a little bit more, it became apparent to me. Her reasons for doing this are actually quite simple. She writes about the history of taxidermy to give readers perspective. By knowing the history of taxidermy we can see what the profession was like when it first began, where it is now, and where it is going.

Like most trades, innovations, or original ideas, taxidermy started out small and then it got big. So, big in fact, that it has become a five hundred million dollar business. However, unlike most other professions, taxidermy has always been considered an abnormal profession. In her essay, Orlean writes, “In spite of its scientific value, it was usually regarded as almost a black art, a wholly owned subsidiary of witchcraft and voodoo”.  This isn’t surprising in the least. I’ve talked to a lot of different people about taxidermy and more often than not, people quiver at the thought of people bringing animals back to life, much in the same way kids make stuffed animals at build-a-bear workshops. Additionally, just the idea of stuffing a dead animal does not seem ethical.

On that note, it’s also not surprising that taxidermy was considered a black art when it first started because it was new. I am not that afflicted by taxidermy because I have seen taxidermist work on walls at bars, schools, and peoples’ homes all my life, but for the people that lived a hundred years ago, it was brand new and, because it was new, it was that much more disturbing and gross.

Taxidermy now, it seems, is still considered to be an unethical trade by many, but not all. Now there are magazines, sponsors, and competitions that support the longevity of this trade, which just goes to show how much more it is accepted and respected.

Another reason I believe she wrote about this history of taxidermy is to show readers just how much stitching animals back together has advanced over the ages. In Lifelike, she wrote, “The original taxidermists were upholsterers who tanned the hides of hunting trophies and then plumped them up with rags and cotton, so that they reassumed their original shape and size; those early poses were stiff and simple, and the expressions fairly expressionless.”

Then, she later wrote, “It used to be enough to do what taxidermists call "fish on a stick" displays; now a serious competitor worries about things like flow and negative space and originality.” These quotes from Orlean’s text go to show just how much more effort is put into bringing an animal back to life today than in the past.

One other reason I believe she wrote about this history, is to simply give her audience context. Her readership is more than likely comprised of residents of New York City, considering she writes for The New Yorker. The majority of these people might not know anything about hunting and taxidermy and that is why it was important for her to give some background information. People that have grown up in rural areas might not need the background information because they already know everything there is to know. But the citizens of New York may not.

Why does Susan Orlean not express her personal opinions about taxidermy?

I thought it was very interesting that she wrote her essay without expressing her own opinions. There could be any number of reasons why she did this. With a subject such as this, I expected her to be more biased, more prejudice, or more to the point. It’s really difficult with this essay, to figure out exactly what she expects of her readers or what is at stake for her. Then again, she is a professional. Because, she is a professional, there is a really good chance that she can influence her readers without noticeably coming right out with her personal opinions. That’s what writers do. They appeal to readers emotions and influence them one way or the other with their use of words. People that are smart already realize this and because of this they try not to get too invested in whatever it is that they’re reading. This could be good and bad or neither. It all depends on what the topic is. Sometimes it is good to keep an open mind, sometimes not.

What was really apparent was that Susan Orlean included in her essay a lot conflicting statements. At times, she was writing about how much skill it takes to be a taxidermist, and the next she included in her essay all the grotesque details of what the taxidermist do to make a final product. She was very wishy washy in her writing. I think readers really need to focus on what words she uses to describe taxidermy and the competition. From my perspective, it seems as though, she supports taxidermy. In the end, I think she has a better understand and respect for it.

Maybe that’s all she wants. Maybe all she wants is for her readers to have a better understanding and respect for some aspects of the trade, such as the fact that history can be preserved throughout time because of what one taxidermist has done.

Assignment 6: Choices

Assignment 6: Choices

               There are a number of writer choices that are really self-evident in this essay. For example, she decided that her essay would revolve around the 2003 World Taxidermy Competition; she decided to talk about the history of taxidermy, a taxidermy website, how taxidermy is another form of art that contestants in the competition take very seriously, as well as the diversity of people who take up this trade.

               I believe she decided that the competition would be the backdrop of her story because the competition allowed her to meet a wide variety of people from all different walks of life that take up taxidermy as a hobby or as a job. In addition, she was able to see the best of the best dead animals come to life at this every other year competition. The competition was really the best way for her to immerse herself into this culture and take advantage of all the resources that were at her disposal.

               Orleans also talked about the history of taxidermy. I believe this is essential to every piece of literature that is like this article. By giving her followers some background information, she is allowing the readers to see where the trade has been, where it is now, and where it may end up in the future. Knowing the history, allows us as the readers to see the progression of taxidermy throughout time. It allows us to see that taxidermy used to be considered a black art and now it is a widely accepted, multimillion dollar business, which many companies, museums, and hunters take advantage of.

               Talking about the website was also an essential writer choice that Susan Orleans decided to take advantage of. There are two reasons I think she decided to talk about the website. For starters, I think she quoted some of the post from the blog in her essay because those quotes show how the taxidermist think putting an animal’s skin over a mannequin is completely normal.  She also wanted to show her readers how taxidermists interact with one another.  Secondly, I think she brought up the website, so her readers will go and look it up themselves, which will hopefully aid her readers in making up their own opinions about how they feel about the trade.

               One other writer choice that I’d like to talk about is how Susan Orlean decided to include in her essay the desire every taxidermist has to make everything perfect.  In her essay, she writes, “The taxidermists take the competition very seriously.” Then she goes into detail listing all the different lengths taxidermists go through to make a complete master piece.

               Overall, I think immersing herself in this culture by going to the World competition was the best decision she could have made. She could have gone to any local taxidermists and wrote about his or her experiences, but instead she decided to go to this competition, which allowed her to learn what taxidermy is all about on a global level.

Assignment 6

Assignment 6

               Susan Orlean authored Lifelike from an open minded, nondiscriminatory, unprejudiced perspective. I believe she did this out of respect to the people that took the time to talk to her. I also believe she wrote this essay the way she did because if she had not been impartial, less people would feel inclined to want to read it. The only people that would want to read this essay would probably the people that agree with her opinions or people that want to dispute or discredit anything she has to say. In addition, I feel she wrote this essay from a nonbiased perspective because as a journalist staff writer for the New Yorker she realizes she can appeal to a greater demographic of people by being impartial. This article was published in New York; a city in which the majority of people probably would not otherwise be exposed to this trade if it was not for this article.  By not leaning one way or the other in her writing, she allows her readership to form their own opinions about the trade. Put simply, she wrote this article in a non-editorial, informative way, so that her readers could learn a great deal about something they may not know about unless they once lived in a rural area and so they can form their own opinions about the subject at hand.

               The reason I say she wrote this essay from a nonbiased perspective is because she herself compliments some of the taxidermist on their work and because everyone she interviews has something positive to say about the trade, but she also quotes the taxidermist saying some things that are not so pleasing to hear.

For example, she says, “I said that his bobcat was beautiful, and that even the icicles on the piece looked completely real.” She said this to a man that was a contestant in the World Taxidermy Championship competition. Now if this was the only thing she said in her essay, readers might perceive Orleans as an impartial author. However, with every positive thing that is said in this essay, there is also something that tips the scale in the other direction so to say.  Specifically there was the man that stitched the two black bears together, the taxidermist that freeze animal skin in their freezers, as well as the person who suggested he or she would make a mount out of a stillborn. She would not have quoted the contestants saying these things if it was not for the fact that she were trying to be neutral.  

Another example of this is when she quotes a taxidermist saying he or she loves deer and that they’re his or hers babies. She says, “Taxidermists seem to make little distinction between loving animals that are alive and loving ones that are not. ‘I love deer,’ one of the champions in the whitetail division said to me. ‘They’re my babies’”.

Now, as far as where she builds, or loses her ethos, I think she gained her ethos by actually traveling to Springfield, Illinois and attending the competition. This gives her credibility because she didn’t just talk over the phone or instant message with the contestants, she witnessed everything first hand. I think she lost her credibility by being so detached and not expressing her own opinions. If it wasn’t for the fact that I googled her, I would not have known who she was. I think she would have been more credible in her essay, if she gave a better insight into who she is. If her readers knew that she has been a writer for The New Yorker since 1992, and that she has also written for such publications as Vogue, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Outside, people would be more inclined to hear what she has to say. Then again, maybe she does in fact want her readers to keep an open mind when reading Lifelike, just like I said before.

 

Assignment 5

 

Assignment 5

               Susan Orlean composed this article for The New Yorker to illustrate a taxidermist’s life and to show the world the culture that makes up this society of people that love to bring dead animals back to life. Or perhaps she wrote this article because she wanted to humanize this trade, which for so many people is considered to be awful, evil, and disgusting. It does seem that way, because she doesn’t seem to discriminate against the people she met. Rather, it seems as though she came to favor and admire the taxidermist.

               I believe she wants her readers to keep an open mind when reading this article.  An open mind that will lead her readers to favor the taxidermist trade that is. If she had a different agenda, her approach would have been a lot different. She would have used select words like immoral, awful, cruel, and disgusting. But that’s just it, she doesn’t use those words.

               On the other hand, I do not believe she was too impartial. At times, it seemed more like an informative article than an editorial. And I think that is why I was really not all that excited about reading it. I have mixed feelings on the topic and much of what she had to say was not going to convince me one way or the other. Also, I felt like there wasn’t any rising action, climax, falling action, or resolution to her piece, which made it kind of boring to read. At times, I felt like I was just reading a transcript or a Wikipedia article. I, however, do believe that there are or will be some who read this article and will want to dispute or debate the morality and facts surrounding this article. I think she expects that.

               I obviously do not think she wanted me to be bored. But, I don’t think she would be surprised if I told her that is how I felt when I read this article. She herself said, “In the seminars, the atmosphere was as sober and exacting as a tax law colloquium.” That’s pretty much how I felt about this article. On a final note, I believe she wants her readers to dwell on the topic and to have an opinion. Or possibly she wants her readers to get all the facts before making any strong opinions one way or the other.

Questions for class

Do you feel any different about the sport of hunting or taxidermy now that you have read this article?

How did you feel when reading this article?

Do you think Susan Orlean had a personal agenda?

Do you want to make a dead animal come back to life now?

Do you think this was a good article to have published in The New Yorker?

Standing By CP

 

Standing By CP

               David Sedaris authored Standing By in an attempt to persuade people to change how they think and behave. That is the reason he wrote this story. He wants his readers and others to not be so judgmental. We, for whatever reason are judgmental people. We have the tendency to judge others in spite of the fact that we may not know anything personal about the people we judge. We do it everywhere we go; whether it’s waiting in line at the bank, in the grocery store, sitting in traffic, or sitting in class, we do it all the time. Maybe it’s because we live in a capitalist society where we are rewarded on being better than everyone else. Maybe we do it because it’s a biological instinct that we just have no control over. Or maybe we judge others on preconceived stereotypes, because we feel better about ourselves when we do. Whatever the reason, David Sedaris makes this tendency the backbone of his short story Standing By. He makes this the controlling purpose of his story because he no longer wants people to think this way. He wants people to judge themselves before they think about judging others, because in his eyes, we are equal. It’s not a bad idea. It’s certainly the direction our country is heading in, which I believe is for the best.

Reflecting on Revision

Reflecting on Revision

What I found most intriguing in Ms. Brown’s interpretive essay was her individual perspective or approach to David Sedaris’s story and more specifically his purpose. Going into this assignment, I was not that excited about reading an interpretive essay about a story I have already read many times over and have written about myself, but her unique writing style made her essay very fun to read.  

Ms. Brown and I both express similar ideas in our own essays, but our style of writing is very different. Simply put, she wrote her essay very well. I like her spin on what she feels David Sedaris’s purpose is. Moreover, like me, she wrote about how people have a tendency to sometimes be judgmental.

Ms. Brown wrote this in her essay: Sedaris’ comedic anthropological approach to tackling situations that pertain to judgments passed on others not only touched on physical appearance, but of political ideology as well. He showed that it is as if there is a code within our DNA that makes humans aggressive towards others, but in a passive sort of way. Using an airport as the main location of the article was perfect in capturing the interactions of people and how airline passengers react to certain situations. It is no surprise that in a port that resembles a bee hive of people from all different backgrounds, there is conflict and criticism of others. Sedaris was able to bring up the question of whether it is the situations that drive us or ourselves mixed in with one another; as if our own vulnerability in a place that has people opposite of us is what creates the chaos we find ourselves in.

I love her choice of words in describing what was at stake for David Sedaris. She used the words comedic, anthropological, and DNA. I think these are all good choice words to use. I also like how she referred to the airport as being a bee hive of people. That’s a really good way of describing what an airport can be like and keeps me as the reader entertained and wanting to read more.

Ms. Brown touched a little bit on how David Sedaris noticed the aggression of some of the people around him.  I could have shed a little bit of light on that. There are a few people in this story that exhibit some aggressive behavior. For example, there is the man who said he should have punched the airline employee or there is the man with the mustache who suggested that maybe the government should be overthrown by force. She used the first as an example in her essay. I actually think bringing that up was a good idea because there is a pattern of aggressive behavior throughout the story.

 In all, I really enjoyed reading Ms. Browns paper. Reading her paper has encouraged me to make mine even better. I want mine to be as entertaining as hers. I do believe I wrote my essay well, but there is always room for improvement.

My methodology in writing my paper was simple. I did what I usually do and put together an outline. I really think that’s the best place to start when writing a paper. You start with an idea and give examples to support the idea in the main body of the essay. The objective of this essay was to write my interpretation of David Sedaris’s story Standing By.   I think I did a good job of interpreting his story and used many examples. What I need to do to improve my essay is to be less detached. It is in fact, an interpretive essay, my interpretive essay and therefore I should be less detached. I think this is really important because if I give my readers a sense of who I am as a person and tell the readers what it is that is at stake for me, my readers will be more inclined to want to read my paper.

One thing I’d like to add to my essay is my interpretation of what David Sedaris meant by the airport being a forum for our true hateful selves. He said this: We’re forever blaming the airline industry for turning us into monsters; it’s the fault of the ticket agents, the baggage handlers, the slowpokes at the newsstands and the fast food restaurants. But what if this is who we truly are, and the airport’s just a forum that allows us to be our real selves, not just hateful but gloriously so?

I already elaborated a little bit on what I thought this meant in my essay, but I want to add one more thought. I want to expand on that idea and talk about how social media networks may be similar to this airport setting. Additionally, social media networks, like Facebook may be another forum to show the world who we truly are.

Many of my acquaintances and friends on Facebook were very forward in expressing their political views around election time; some, more aggressively than others. This I think is a good example of how people feel more comfortable being themselves in different settings. Social media networks and the airport are the open doors to showing our true hateful selves.  

 

 

 

Assignment 4: Choices

Assignment 4: Choices

Sedaris decided to write this story because he wanted to leave his imprint on the world. And what better way is there for an author to leave an imprint on the world than to write a story that will change lives? I think a lot of people want to make a difference in this world and this was his way of doing it. Additionally, Sedaris decided that an airport was going to be the stage for his story because an airport is a good representation of how diverse our society is. Also, the characters he decided to write about are probably very similar to people we have seen or interacted with in very similar circumstances. By introducing these characters, he was able to capture our attention and keep us reading until the end. If he would have written about characters we in no way could have related to, we probably would not have been as interested in the story.

Again, Sedaris possibly chose to write this story because he wanted to entertain, get recognition, he wanted to make a difference, or he wants us, as the readers to think twice before opening our mouths. He’s kind of a hypocrite in this story and he probably expected us as the readers to pick up on that. He probably wanted us to realize that we ourselves might just be hypocrites too. Not that everyone is. But, maybe he’s not trying to reach out to those people. Maybe he’s reaching out to the people who are hypocrites whom judge other people, before judging themselves. That’s just something to think about.

In conclusion, I think he published his story in a magazine because younger people read magazines and he expects the younger people in society to be the voices for tomorrow. And by that, I mean he expects his readers to promote social change, or at least for his readers to just be a little less judgmental.

Assignment 4

I honestly think that one of the primary reasons he wrote this story is to make people think about their own behavior, attitudes, and judgments toward other people in society. Moreover, I think he wants people to do some self-reflecting. Throughout this story, we as the readers are introduced to all these different characters that hold judgments towards different people in society. Sedaris also does this. For example, Sedaris says, “Stevie Wonder wore his hair like that in the late seventies, but he’s black. And blind. Then, too, Stevie Wonder didn’t have acne on his neck, and wear baggy denim shorts that fell midway between his knees and his ankles. Topping it off was the kid’s T-shirt. I couldn’t see the front of it, but printed in large letters across the back were the words “Freaky MothaFucka” (Sedaris 276). This is just one example. Throughout the whole story, Sedaris makes judgments about the young parents, the elderly woman and her grandchildren, and about the two Republicans that stood behind him in line. I think this story supports the idea that people stereotype people based on their race, creed, religion, and even their clothing attire. And that is why I think he uses the airport to approach this subject. Because, the airport more than any other place in society truly shows how diverse our society is.

The timing of this story is also significant. It’s in this time period. It’s in this time period that an African American man has been elected to President twice, a time in which men and women in the military can be open about their sexuality, a time in which gay people can get married in certain states, a time in which women can now fight in combat. In this day in age, specifically in these last couple of years, there has been a lot of social change. The timing of this story is significant because Sedaris wants his readers to think about these topics. He wants his readers to dwell on how they or we perceive the world and the people in it. Perhaps, he wants his readers to change the way they think and be less judgmental.

I believe he chose to publish his story in a magazine because his target audience is anyone between the ages of eighteen and thirty five give or take a few years. I’m just guessing. His target audience is us. We are the ones who read magazine articles and more often than not it’s elderly people that read newspapers. Everyone else uses the internet or reads magazine articles. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know that I will use the newspaper to clean the windows of my house before using it to get updated on current events. He is not looking for more elderly people to change the world. He is looking to us to do that. He is looking to us to change the way people in society think.

Works Cited

Sedaris, David. "Standing By." First Year Composition Reader. Boston: Pearson, 2011. 275-277. Print.

Assignment 3

Assignment 3
 

I really enjoyed this short story by David Sedaris. His unique approach on the whole flying experience was very amusing. This story definitely exceeded my expectations and reminded me of all the times I have gone flying or the times wherein I was in a similar situation as him. The comment he made to the elderly woman in line was really funny. It wasn't so much what he said that was funny, but the nature of the situation that was humorous. Unfortunately, whenever I find myself in that same situation, it’s too late and I wish I would have just ended the conversation before it even started. So, the way he handled it, I thought, was really funny. That’s just one example of him being funny in his essay. He’s comical throughout his whole story from the whole comment about how badly Americans dress at airports, to the flight attendants farting as they walk through the aisle, to the final paragraph when we, as the readers find out what it is exactly that flight attendants might say as flights come to an end.

  Sedaris wrote this text for a couple of reasons. The most obvious reasons he wrote this text was to get recognition as well as to entertain his readers. I think the less obvious reason he wrote this text is because he wanted to express an uncertain truth that the airport atmosphere might bring about people’s true nature. Moreover, he was presenting the idea that at airports, people take off their mask and present to society who they really are. I think for some people this may be true. In my opinion, being at the airport can be stressful, so of course people are going to be more pessimistic, negative, and maybe even rude. The airport for the most part is always going to be a chaotic atmosphere that test peoples patience. Then, again it depends on what airport you are flying in and out of. I’m just grateful that I can get on a plane today and not have to worry about the plane crashing because most airlines have such experienced pilots. “We’re forever blaming the airline industry for turning us into monsters; it’s the fault of the ticket agents, the baggage handlers, the slowpokes at the newsstands and fast food restaurants. But what if this is who we truly are, and the airport’s just a forum that allows us to be our real selves, not just hateful but gloriously so?” (Sedaris 277). This quote taken from his essay is his introduction to the idea that airports bring out our true nature. Again, I don’t think people are gloriously hateful people. I think that for the most part, most people are not hateful, but good people.

I mainly think that David Sedaris just wants his readers to think about the primary message he was trying to convey; the message that we are all truly hateful people. I don’t actually think he wants people to think that. I just think he wants people to dwell on the idea that we as people truly show our not so nice or hypocritical sides at the airport. On that note, people are always so upset at the job performance of the people who work at airports. But, do people ever think about all that the employees across the ticket booth have had to deal with? They deal with the same issues day after day. They deal with people that are late, don’t have the money to pay for their tickets, didn't print off their e ticket, do not have proof of identification, people who do not properly pack their bags, do not have the money to pay the extra fee to pay for their bags being too heavy, and the lists goes on and on. Maybe, David Sedaris wants us and other readers to just be more sympathetic to the employees at the airport or at any public service place. We are all on the same boat trying to achieve the American dream. So, maybe David Sedaris just wants people to be more patient, not judge, and respect each other. There could be any number of reasons to why he wrote this paper. In conclusion, I really enjoyed his story. It was a lot of fun to read.

Works Cited

Sedaris, David. "Standing By." First Year Composition Reader. Boston: Pearson, 2011. 275-277. Print.

Sedaris’ “Standing By”

Sedaris’ “Standing By”

Sedaris’ “Standing By,” is a short story written by author David Sedaris. This story is about his personal experiences encompassing the world of flying and everything it entails. For the most part, this short essay specifically illustrates the discomforting as well as comical experiences he felt during a flight he took in 2009 from Fargo, North Dakota to Portland Oregon. Moreover, he writes about all the awkward situations he found himself in with the people he was traveling with, the diversity of the people that one can find in an airport, the unfortunate circumstances many people find themselves in when flying, and finally the idea that airports may bring out peoples true narcissistic nature.

Assignment 2

Assignment 2

After having read all of the material we were told to look over, I have come to the conclusion that this course is going to challenge our intellect, our creativity, and our wills. We are not only going to have to use all the skills we have learned up to this point in previous English classes, but we are going to have to come up with new innovative ways of putting our thoughts onto paper. We are going to have to create, imagine, reflect, and experiment time and time again until we get it right. We are going to do this again and again until we are able to properly write in a way that incorporates the six golden rules, which include context, audience, purpose, logos, ethos, and pathos, so that we may be able to persuade our audience and accomplish whatever it is that is our purpose.

In general, I obviously expect our class to do a lot of reading, writing, and interpreting of texts assigned to us by the professor. I think we will be doing more reading and revising of each other’s work than that of published text. I also think that we will be required and encouraged to seek help wherever we can, whether it’s seeking each other out in an online discussion or going to the writing center. By helping each other out, we can improve on our writing and reading habits. We will, in effect, be expanding on the skills we already have.

I think being a writer in this course in relation to being a writer in other situations is not going to much different. Moreover, the whole purpose of this class is to help us become better writers in whatever endeavor we choose to pursue, whether it’s in another class or in the work we perform at our future job sites.

Overall, I am really excited to get started on the two interpretive essays and one reflective essay that we will be turning in at the end of the semester for our final portfolio. The only question I have is what text will we be reading and interpreting? I’m confident that we will, however, be getting the answer to this question answered fairly shortly. All the other question I had were answered in the student guide, in the syllabus, or in the course description.

Introduction

Hello class,

I just want to start off my introduction by saying that I truly enjoyed our first class together. I think what Ms. Evans did to introduce each and every one of us to each other was really cool and was a great way to start our spring semester off together. I think we are going to have a very fun, exciting, and productive class together. At any rate, my name is Ryan. I’m the guy from San Diego, California. Before you ask, I do miss the pristine, sandy beaches and beautiful cities of southern, California, but I do very much like this city, which is now my home. With the exception of the unbearable weather that we are now experiencing, this city has a lot to offer. More than anything, I love all the unique breweries and restaurants that are located in this city. Additionally, I love the commitment the people of this state have towards our college and professional sports teams—most notably, the Green Bay Packers. I love that I can go just about anywhere in this city and know that I have something in common with just about everyone.

In my free time, I of course love watching the Green Bay Packers play. I also love to surf and snowboard. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to do much of either of these sports because Lake Michigan doesn’t produce many rideable waves and we haven’t seen a lot of snow this winter. I realize that I can go to the hills at Crystal Ridge or Alpine where they make fake snow, but I don’t really care for the prices that those places demand. That’s why I’ve always stuck to surfing for the most part. When it comes to surfing, the only money I have ever had to spend was on a surfboard, a wetsuit, and the gas in my car to get to the beach.

As cliché as it sounds, if I had one wish, I would wish for there to be global peace. And with that, I would wish that there would be no poverty in the world.

As I mentioned before, my favorite things about Milwaukee and Wisconsin are the breweries, the restaurants, and the Green Bay Packers. If I had to mention one more thing, it would be all the good fishing this state has to offer.

My field of study is nursing.  I’m hoping that within the next few years I will become a registered nurse. Considering I just decided to make this my major, I do not know all that much about it. What I do know is that the pay is good, it’s secure, and it allows me to help people in need. So, those are three basic reasons as to why I have chosen to pursue this profession.

I’ve enjoyed most of the classes I have taken in college.  The classes that stand out most in my mind that I liked the more than others was a first responders class I took in California and an introduction to film class I also took in California. What I enjoyed most about the first responders class was the fact that it was not that formal and it allowed the students to really engage in practicing life-saving techniques. And as far as the film class goes, I for one, love to watch movies and secondly, in this class the students and I were able to analyze and critique all the different movies we watched over the course of the semester.

As far as writing and reading goes, I have done about as much of both of those as the next person has. I’ve written research papers, critiquing papers, short stories, and pretty much everything else that is required of most students in school. When it comes to reading, I’ve read all the books that most students are required to read. When I’ve taken it upon myself to read in my spare time, I’ve read the Bible, a variety of biographies, some fiction and a million different surfing magazines. Moreover, whenever I become increasingly interested in a hobby, a sport, an art, or whatever, I’ll go to the library or book store and learn as much as I can about the subject. I’ll just become a fanatic and learn absolutely everything I can about my new interest. When I first started surfing, I bought every guidebook and video that was available that would aid me in becoming a better surfer. The reading I enjoy doing more than anything is reading about history. Whether its world history or American history, I love it all.

For me, writing is like watching grass grow. I’ve never been really fond of it. I however do think it’s a necessary skill or talent to have. Furthermore, without writing, I would not be able to enjoy all the books I enjoy reading. Also, writing allows people as a whole to communicate effectively and tell stories across time. Writing is the tool that allows anthropologists to study cultures in the present and in history. 

My biggest fear about college-level writing is probably just formatting. That, more than anything, is the biggest concern I have.

My primary goals for this class are obviously to become a better writer and reader. I want to be able to use whatever skills are taught in this class in future classes and thereafter.  In addition, I want to know that if I write a book one day, the editor or publisher that reviews my book will not have to correct too many mistakes. 

The learning environment that I know works best for me is one in which there is a lot of white noise, a good amount of feedback, and one in which there is a lot of participation by each and every student. If I am in a class where the professor just talks and talks in a monotone voice for a few hours, I will become disinterested and fall asleep.

In conclusion, this is who I am in a nutshell. Should anybody want to introduce themselves to me or ever need a helping hand, feel free to talk to me. I am very easy to approach and probably one of the most laid back persons you will have ever met. That’s all. Thank you and good night.