In Harriet Malionwitz article, "Queer Texts, Queer Contexts," she explains how gay and lesbian was not known in the classroom as early as we may think. Many teachers did not teach upon this, or let students write about it in essays, research papers, etc. It has come to the realization that sexual orientation whether welcomed or not, is in the classrooms. It is there, because it is part of some student's identity. Harriet herself, is a lesbian teacher, who just came out to her students maybe four years before publishing her article. She talks about having some students who still have the same fear that she shared about coming out about being gay or lesbian. She has talked about giving students gay related essays, and some of the rude laughs that at least comes from one of the students who are not as familiar with how widely ranged the gay community has become. Some people in their writing try to categorize what it means to be lesbian or gay in their writings, which is not always accurate by calling this a person's personal identity. This is still a growing topic in human society, and will keep growing as time goes on. It has grown so much over the past few years, and is started to become accepted by all different states in the U.S.
COMPARE
I would compare Harriet's article to Elizabeth Wardle's article. I would compare the two, because they both discuss the discourse communities. Harriet talks about the discourse community of being gay or lesbian in a classroom. Elizabeth Wardle uses Alan as an example in her discourse community. He can not become a part of the community he wants to become a part of, because he won't accept the things around him. This could come into comparison with Harriet's article on how some students can not become part of the discourse community of the classroom, because they do not accept the gay/lesbian community.
I personally found this article very interesting. It is one of my favorites I have read so far this year. I have a cousin who is gay. He has been gay for as long as he remembers, even though he was a young child and did not like other men, he always leaned more towards the girly ways of things. I wish it was more accepted in every classroom, and there was not that 'one kid in the classroom laughing and making jokes,' just because they don't understand or relate to the gay community. I also, found this article interesting, because we are learning more about the gay community in my anthropology class. We are learning about the heterosexual (liking the opposite sex), homosexual (liking the same sex), and bisexual ( liking both sexes). We have been talking about this, and going more in depth for the past two weeks. We had researched a specific court case involving the state of California, in a battle to see if same sex marriage could be legalized. There were many issues involving this case, that I had never understood until doing my project on it. All in all, the state of California was over-ruled, and now same sex marriage is legal in that state. Hopefully, it will become legal in the rest of the states in the U.S. that have not yet accepted this issue.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Project #3
I have chose softball as my discourse community. I picked this completely at random over the weekend, while looking through some old pictures. I played softball as a young child, but do not remember much of the sport. I played for about two years with my cousins on a team called, the Dolphins. I will base my research off of a specific team (major league or a campus team). Also, I have a few friends that I live with that play softball/baseball. I could interview them, and learn more about the sport in general to get a better understanding now that I am older. I will try to find different ways to research this sport through websites, biographies on different players, and even books at the Alden Library.
I have chose softball as my discourse community. I picked this completely at random over the weekend, while looking through some old pictures. I played softball as a young child, but do not remember much of the sport. I played for about two years with my cousins on a team called, the Dolphins. I will base my research off of a specific team (major league or a campus team). Also, I have a few friends that I live with that play softball/baseball. I could interview them, and learn more about the sport in general to get a better understanding now that I am older. I will try to find different ways to research this sport through websites, biographies on different players, and even books at the Alden Library.
In Amy J. Devitt, Anis Bawarshi, and Mary Jo Reiff's article, "Materiality and Genre in the Study of Discourse Communities," these three writers put their ideas all into the same article so the reader can compare and contrast between the three.
In Amy's aritcle, she explains how different discourse communities collide through legal genre. She uses things like tax forms, ballot questions, and jury instructions as an example. She explains that these three different genres depend on human actions, and the the cooperation participants for different communities. She ends discussing that these simple things have a serious effect on people's lives.
In Anis's article, she tells the reader that the word genre comes from the French, and means "sort" or "kind". Anis talks about a patient's medical history form is a commonly used medical genre, and is a good way to understand how doctors function and how they treat their patient. She uses the student Michael as an example, and says he learns to play 'the language game.' He becomes part of the community within social work.
In Mary's article, she explains how Charles Bazerman describes genres as 'road maps,' and student writers have to navigate the landscape. She puts her article into different goals, and genres. She uses Susan, a pre-law student as an example as she would carry her mini-ethnography on the law community. To understand the people's different values, beliefs, and knowledge of the communities, Susan considered genres as opinions, deeds, contracts or wills. Ethnography is both a research and an approach to genre analysis.
COMPARE
I would compare these three readings put into one with the readings this past week talking about the different discourse communities. I would base this mainly off of James Paul Gee's article, because they all explain their views and ideas on how discourse communities are based, whether it is on values, believes, wills, etc. This article has put three different perspectives into one, while Gee puts his perspective into four different categories, such as dominant, non-dominant, secondary, and primary discourses.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the three different articles. They made sense to me, and gave me more of a clear understanding of discourse communities, and different perspectives which they could be viewed as. I really liked how instead of just clumping the three ideas all together, they used different subheadings, titles, and told who had which idea, and thoroughly explained. It would be almost possible for someone not to be able to follow the article.
In Amy's aritcle, she explains how different discourse communities collide through legal genre. She uses things like tax forms, ballot questions, and jury instructions as an example. She explains that these three different genres depend on human actions, and the the cooperation participants for different communities. She ends discussing that these simple things have a serious effect on people's lives.
In Anis's article, she tells the reader that the word genre comes from the French, and means "sort" or "kind". Anis talks about a patient's medical history form is a commonly used medical genre, and is a good way to understand how doctors function and how they treat their patient. She uses the student Michael as an example, and says he learns to play 'the language game.' He becomes part of the community within social work.
In Mary's article, she explains how Charles Bazerman describes genres as 'road maps,' and student writers have to navigate the landscape. She puts her article into different goals, and genres. She uses Susan, a pre-law student as an example as she would carry her mini-ethnography on the law community. To understand the people's different values, beliefs, and knowledge of the communities, Susan considered genres as opinions, deeds, contracts or wills. Ethnography is both a research and an approach to genre analysis.
COMPARE
I would compare these three readings put into one with the readings this past week talking about the different discourse communities. I would base this mainly off of James Paul Gee's article, because they all explain their views and ideas on how discourse communities are based, whether it is on values, believes, wills, etc. This article has put three different perspectives into one, while Gee puts his perspective into four different categories, such as dominant, non-dominant, secondary, and primary discourses.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the three different articles. They made sense to me, and gave me more of a clear understanding of discourse communities, and different perspectives which they could be viewed as. I really liked how instead of just clumping the three ideas all together, they used different subheadings, titles, and told who had which idea, and thoroughly explained. It would be almost possible for someone not to be able to follow the article.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
BEFORE YOU READ
Since I have been in college, my identity has changed drastically. It has changed, because I am now more aware of different aspects around me. In English in general, I have always had a good understanding of the topic, but everyday I hear about new ideas and opinions in someone's writing. Reading the articles we read every few days for our assignments shows me not only the different point of views, but how many people share those same ideas that I never even had thought of as being an issue. It gives me a more in depth understanding of the research and time put into different ways of writing.
In high school, English was a very important subject, because it kept growing from year to year, and it is always changed or progressing. I don't think students take English as serious as they should until they are in college, and they need to write papers or give speeches. You need English to complete all of these in a formal manner.
In Elizabeth Wardle's article, "Identity, Authority, & Learning to Write in New Workplaces," she wants to learn how people learn to write as adults among different discourse communities. She breaks this down into three categories of how people try to belong to a group; engagement (common enterprise), imagination (process of expanding..etc), and alignment (negotiating perspective..etc). She does a study on Alan, who is a computer specialist. He refuses to work within the writing conventions that are necessary for his line of work. He would not be accepted into part of the discourse if he does not abide by their regulations, and at the end is forced to search for a new job. Wardle makes this clear, that even if someone has a degree, it does not mean that they are accepted. Just like everyone else, you have to give what is expected of you by your employer. Two major roles that are played within this reading are the differences between identity and authority. You need to know your true self, and know what authority you have and can take, without pushing the limit. New members of a discourse community should always be willing to want to learn new ways to belong for their new line of work. This would make it easier on them, and give what is expected of them.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
3) Alan did not go about his problem in the right way. He seemed to be rude, not even willing to try and make an effort to give them what they needed from him. He was very stubborn, and hard-headed. It also might of been a factor that he is only 23 years old, and if he is already making waves, what he might do in the future if he stays employed by the same people. This could of been handled by him not being so rude, and having more of an open mind to what was asked of him. If he didn't agree he could have tried to reason, instead of just refusing.
5) I agree with both, mainly Wardle, because a person is not always going to be happy with what they are doing. Sometimes, people learn to deal with it, because it is something you have to do. Not everyone is going to let you do whatever you want your whole life, there are times when a person needs to realize they're not the ones running the show. Alan did not seem like he even wanted to make an effort, and that was a huge problem.
COMPARE
I would compare this reading with James Paul Gee's, because they both talk about discourse communities. Even though Gee placed his into the four categories of dominant, non-dominant, secondary, and primary, they both share the outlook that each person needs to have some kind of background or want to learn about the discourse community they are trying to be a part of. Gee also says that discourse gives people instructions on how to talk, act, or write. This goes into agreeing with Wardle's article, because she explains that certain regulations and tasks are expected from an individual.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this article, because I like when the writer gives examples. I think Alan was a good example, and it made the reading much easier to read through the article. I liked how she explained the three interrelated modes of people trying to belong to a specific group as being engagement, alignment, and imagination. Lastly, her article helped me to realize that just because a person might have a degree, does not mean they are specifically accepted into the group.
Since I have been in college, my identity has changed drastically. It has changed, because I am now more aware of different aspects around me. In English in general, I have always had a good understanding of the topic, but everyday I hear about new ideas and opinions in someone's writing. Reading the articles we read every few days for our assignments shows me not only the different point of views, but how many people share those same ideas that I never even had thought of as being an issue. It gives me a more in depth understanding of the research and time put into different ways of writing.
In high school, English was a very important subject, because it kept growing from year to year, and it is always changed or progressing. I don't think students take English as serious as they should until they are in college, and they need to write papers or give speeches. You need English to complete all of these in a formal manner.
In Elizabeth Wardle's article, "Identity, Authority, & Learning to Write in New Workplaces," she wants to learn how people learn to write as adults among different discourse communities. She breaks this down into three categories of how people try to belong to a group; engagement (common enterprise), imagination (process of expanding..etc), and alignment (negotiating perspective..etc). She does a study on Alan, who is a computer specialist. He refuses to work within the writing conventions that are necessary for his line of work. He would not be accepted into part of the discourse if he does not abide by their regulations, and at the end is forced to search for a new job. Wardle makes this clear, that even if someone has a degree, it does not mean that they are accepted. Just like everyone else, you have to give what is expected of you by your employer. Two major roles that are played within this reading are the differences between identity and authority. You need to know your true self, and know what authority you have and can take, without pushing the limit. New members of a discourse community should always be willing to want to learn new ways to belong for their new line of work. This would make it easier on them, and give what is expected of them.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
3) Alan did not go about his problem in the right way. He seemed to be rude, not even willing to try and make an effort to give them what they needed from him. He was very stubborn, and hard-headed. It also might of been a factor that he is only 23 years old, and if he is already making waves, what he might do in the future if he stays employed by the same people. This could of been handled by him not being so rude, and having more of an open mind to what was asked of him. If he didn't agree he could have tried to reason, instead of just refusing.
5) I agree with both, mainly Wardle, because a person is not always going to be happy with what they are doing. Sometimes, people learn to deal with it, because it is something you have to do. Not everyone is going to let you do whatever you want your whole life, there are times when a person needs to realize they're not the ones running the show. Alan did not seem like he even wanted to make an effort, and that was a huge problem.
COMPARE
I would compare this reading with James Paul Gee's, because they both talk about discourse communities. Even though Gee placed his into the four categories of dominant, non-dominant, secondary, and primary, they both share the outlook that each person needs to have some kind of background or want to learn about the discourse community they are trying to be a part of. Gee also says that discourse gives people instructions on how to talk, act, or write. This goes into agreeing with Wardle's article, because she explains that certain regulations and tasks are expected from an individual.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this article, because I like when the writer gives examples. I think Alan was a good example, and it made the reading much easier to read through the article. I liked how she explained the three interrelated modes of people trying to belong to a specific group as being engagement, alignment, and imagination. Lastly, her article helped me to realize that just because a person might have a degree, does not mean they are specifically accepted into the group.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
BEFORE YOU READ
Typing in, "what is 'mushfake' on google, I kept coming up with the same answer from ChaCha and the Urban dictionary, there was no specific definition.
Mushfake- prison slang for items owned by an inmate that may be legal to buy, but
were obtained through illegal means.
OR Mushfake- making due with something less than the real thing that is not available.
In James Paul Gee's article, "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistic: Introduction", he talks about the different discourse's. These are the primary, secondary, dominant, and non-dominant discourse. He explains ways of talking about literacy and linguistics, and the differences between the lowercase and capital 'D' in discourse. Gee explains that within the writings, it is not the language or grammar that is important, but the writing itself. He uses the word mushfake, meaning readers can make do with what they have or are given, what is available to them. Discourse gives people instructions on how to talk, act, and write. He is basically saying, we need to give people what they expect. As an example, he uses an interview with two women. The women who gives the answers that are more likely to be expected will probably do better at the interview, possibly because she seems to be more honest. Also, it could be for the reasoning that she is more comfortable in certain situations, and knows how to handle them in the type of situation she would be placed in, or the type of area she is in general.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
3) He places discourse in four different categories; primary, secondary, dominant, and non-dominant discourse. He explains that the difference between the capital and lowercase d in discourse. The capital 'D' is what is important is not language or grammar, but saying (writing)-doing-being-valuing-believing combinations. Discourse with a little 'd', means connected stretches on language that make sense, so "discourse" is part of "Discourse."
13) I want to be part of the discourse community as an Ohio University Alumni. I know I will eventually become part of this, but it is something I will need to work towards. I would be an apprentice to this in the future, but for now I have not yet graduated yet. The hardest thing about learning to be apart of a discourse, is to learn all of their shared values, goals, etc. The people that aid me the most in becoming an Ohio University Alumni are probably the advisers of Ohio University that help me schedule classes, get tutoring if needed, and let me know about upcoming activities for my major. I wouldn't say that I feel like a "pretender."
COMPARE
If I had to compare this article with another reading I have read this semester, it would have to be John Swales' article, "The Concept of Discourse Community," because they both discuss discourse communities. Like Gee explaining the four different categories, Swales uses six characteristics to explain his writings to the reader.
Overall, this was not my favorite article to read. It did not stand out to me as much as other ones had before. I did like how he explains the differences between 'discourse,' and 'Discourse.' It made a lot of sense to me after I read how he put them into the four different categories of primary, secondary, dominant, and non-dominant discourse. Another thing that helped me to understand, was when he used the two women as an example while they were getting interviewed.
Typing in, "what is 'mushfake' on google, I kept coming up with the same answer from ChaCha and the Urban dictionary, there was no specific definition.
Mushfake- prison slang for items owned by an inmate that may be legal to buy, but
were obtained through illegal means.
OR Mushfake- making due with something less than the real thing that is not available.
In James Paul Gee's article, "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistic: Introduction", he talks about the different discourse's. These are the primary, secondary, dominant, and non-dominant discourse. He explains ways of talking about literacy and linguistics, and the differences between the lowercase and capital 'D' in discourse. Gee explains that within the writings, it is not the language or grammar that is important, but the writing itself. He uses the word mushfake, meaning readers can make do with what they have or are given, what is available to them. Discourse gives people instructions on how to talk, act, and write. He is basically saying, we need to give people what they expect. As an example, he uses an interview with two women. The women who gives the answers that are more likely to be expected will probably do better at the interview, possibly because she seems to be more honest. Also, it could be for the reasoning that she is more comfortable in certain situations, and knows how to handle them in the type of situation she would be placed in, or the type of area she is in general.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
3) He places discourse in four different categories; primary, secondary, dominant, and non-dominant discourse. He explains that the difference between the capital and lowercase d in discourse. The capital 'D' is what is important is not language or grammar, but saying (writing)-doing-being-valuing-believing combinations. Discourse with a little 'd', means connected stretches on language that make sense, so "discourse" is part of "Discourse."
13) I want to be part of the discourse community as an Ohio University Alumni. I know I will eventually become part of this, but it is something I will need to work towards. I would be an apprentice to this in the future, but for now I have not yet graduated yet. The hardest thing about learning to be apart of a discourse, is to learn all of their shared values, goals, etc. The people that aid me the most in becoming an Ohio University Alumni are probably the advisers of Ohio University that help me schedule classes, get tutoring if needed, and let me know about upcoming activities for my major. I wouldn't say that I feel like a "pretender."
COMPARE
If I had to compare this article with another reading I have read this semester, it would have to be John Swales' article, "The Concept of Discourse Community," because they both discuss discourse communities. Like Gee explaining the four different categories, Swales uses six characteristics to explain his writings to the reader.
Overall, this was not my favorite article to read. It did not stand out to me as much as other ones had before. I did like how he explains the differences between 'discourse,' and 'Discourse.' It made a lot of sense to me after I read how he put them into the four different categories of primary, secondary, dominant, and non-dominant discourse. Another thing that helped me to understand, was when he used the two women as an example while they were getting interviewed.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
BEFORE YOU READ (Writing about Writing)
A time I have felt out of place was not too long ago. I had gone to a hockey game with a few friends. I don't know very much about hockey, at all. This made it hard for me to follow the rules of the game, understand what was going on, or engage in conversation with my friends. I wanted to be able to talk about the sport with them, but I felt like I didn't know much about it to even know where to start.
In John Swale's reading, "The Concept of Discourse Community," his audience are students, or anyone who wants to learn about discourse community. He argues that there are six different characteristics that make up a discourse community. He uses a study group that he tried to become a part of as an example in his reading. It was called the Hong Kong Study Circle. He came to realize that this was not a group that you could just join, and was denied admission. He explains that discourse communities have shared languages, goals, and purposes. He discusses how literacy is always changing, and we change to fit into other groups. We learn their teachings and ideas so we can go into conversation, and be apart of their ideas too.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
5.) A discourse community I am part of is my church back home. I am part of St. Mary Catholic Church in Martins Ferry. We all share the same goals whether it would be raising money for poor families around Christmas/Thanksgiving, or even by helping direct a play for a certain holiday. I would have to say the genre would be Catholic, because that is the type of religion we are following; the Catholic religion. Lexis is the stock of words in a language. This could be when the priest sings they hymns in different languages through the Roman Catholic Church. This could also be brought up for when the priest talks about people in Jesus' time talking in tongues.
In Cathy B. Glenn's article, "Constructing Cosumables & Consent: A Critical Analysis of Factory Farm Industry Discourse," I was really bothered by this article. Her audience is anyone learning about discourse community. She focuses on the widespread use of "double-speak" to describe particular processes internal to the industry. She also talks about the creating of "speaking" animals in advertisements to sell the products of the industrial processes. A main point that stood out to me, was when she talked about if a piglet was a runt, it was often beat to death. The piglet would usually not die the first time it was slammed against the wall, so it was brutally beaten. This does not just happen to piglets, but cows, chickens, etc. She talks about how animals are basically used to promote business, but in reality the way they are portrayed in a commercial is not the way they are actually cared for or handled. It is much more brutal than a person may think.
QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION
2.) A commercial I found on youtube, was for California Milk. It showed a talking cow in the commercial. The cow is known to being slaughtered and killed for its beef, but not for milk. I think this would still fit for the question, because in the end, the cow is always killed after it is no longer in need of milk. I normally would have not reacted to this commercial in any certain way, until this question was asked. It in a way, bothers me, because children watching this probably think that the cows are just used for milking, and live a nice peaceful life. In reality, the cow is being used for its products, and butchered when they are no longer needed. This cartoon, story time, talking icon is in reality, just a used, soon to be killed farm animal. They try to make this animal seem human, because she talks to the wife about her "mom pants," and gives her advice. She is also, in the house just like a person would be, yet she is a cow.
The reading that stuck out to me the most was Cathy B. Glenns. I am a HUGE animal lover. I honestly got very upset when I read about the beating of animals, especially for them being runts. I personally, have a puppy I had gotten from the shelter, who was the runt, and it just upsets me to think of that happening. I don't want to sound like a hypocrite, because I do eat meat, but I try not to think about those things, unless brought to my attention. As it may be cute for a commercial to have a talking animal, it also hurts to know that while this animal may be portrayed as a happy talking human-like being, they will soon be killed just for their products. It is not as happy as people may think, and it is basically a front that a company puts on to get you to want and buy their product.
A time I have felt out of place was not too long ago. I had gone to a hockey game with a few friends. I don't know very much about hockey, at all. This made it hard for me to follow the rules of the game, understand what was going on, or engage in conversation with my friends. I wanted to be able to talk about the sport with them, but I felt like I didn't know much about it to even know where to start.
In John Swale's reading, "The Concept of Discourse Community," his audience are students, or anyone who wants to learn about discourse community. He argues that there are six different characteristics that make up a discourse community. He uses a study group that he tried to become a part of as an example in his reading. It was called the Hong Kong Study Circle. He came to realize that this was not a group that you could just join, and was denied admission. He explains that discourse communities have shared languages, goals, and purposes. He discusses how literacy is always changing, and we change to fit into other groups. We learn their teachings and ideas so we can go into conversation, and be apart of their ideas too.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
5.) A discourse community I am part of is my church back home. I am part of St. Mary Catholic Church in Martins Ferry. We all share the same goals whether it would be raising money for poor families around Christmas/Thanksgiving, or even by helping direct a play for a certain holiday. I would have to say the genre would be Catholic, because that is the type of religion we are following; the Catholic religion. Lexis is the stock of words in a language. This could be when the priest sings they hymns in different languages through the Roman Catholic Church. This could also be brought up for when the priest talks about people in Jesus' time talking in tongues.
In Cathy B. Glenn's article, "Constructing Cosumables & Consent: A Critical Analysis of Factory Farm Industry Discourse," I was really bothered by this article. Her audience is anyone learning about discourse community. She focuses on the widespread use of "double-speak" to describe particular processes internal to the industry. She also talks about the creating of "speaking" animals in advertisements to sell the products of the industrial processes. A main point that stood out to me, was when she talked about if a piglet was a runt, it was often beat to death. The piglet would usually not die the first time it was slammed against the wall, so it was brutally beaten. This does not just happen to piglets, but cows, chickens, etc. She talks about how animals are basically used to promote business, but in reality the way they are portrayed in a commercial is not the way they are actually cared for or handled. It is much more brutal than a person may think.
QUESTION FOR DISCUSSION
2.) A commercial I found on youtube, was for California Milk. It showed a talking cow in the commercial. The cow is known to being slaughtered and killed for its beef, but not for milk. I think this would still fit for the question, because in the end, the cow is always killed after it is no longer in need of milk. I normally would have not reacted to this commercial in any certain way, until this question was asked. It in a way, bothers me, because children watching this probably think that the cows are just used for milking, and live a nice peaceful life. In reality, the cow is being used for its products, and butchered when they are no longer needed. This cartoon, story time, talking icon is in reality, just a used, soon to be killed farm animal. They try to make this animal seem human, because she talks to the wife about her "mom pants," and gives her advice. She is also, in the house just like a person would be, yet she is a cow.
The reading that stuck out to me the most was Cathy B. Glenns. I am a HUGE animal lover. I honestly got very upset when I read about the beating of animals, especially for them being runts. I personally, have a puppy I had gotten from the shelter, who was the runt, and it just upsets me to think of that happening. I don't want to sound like a hypocrite, because I do eat meat, but I try not to think about those things, unless brought to my attention. As it may be cute for a commercial to have a talking animal, it also hurts to know that while this animal may be portrayed as a happy talking human-like being, they will soon be killed just for their products. It is not as happy as people may think, and it is basically a front that a company puts on to get you to want and buy their product.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
5 Quotes from Anne Frances Wysocki's Article
1.) When I look at the open landscape before me, my self reaches out to the horizon, which separates the lake from the sky. Turning around I see at a shorter distance the woods and the house, and even more close by the ground beneath my feet. All these sights are experiences as being seen from the seat of my self, and they group themselves around it in all directions.
- Rudolph Arnheim
My thoughts on this quote is the separation of everything. Anne uses this quote from Arnheim, because it explains the two different sides of looking at things. Just like separating the two articles on the first page, he talks about separating different things. The sky and lake are farther distance away, showing the huge difference. He says the woods and the house are a closer distance, this could show closer similarities in comparing with her ideas.
2.) Since the middle position is the place of greatest importance, the viewer attributes weight to whatever he finds in that position.
-Rudolph Arnheim
In Anne's article she explains how the women's middle section, (her butt and stomach) are the main things we focus on. People look to that first, because it shows the curves of the human body, and we relate more to spherical shapes, than pointed shapes. Since the women's midsection is the middle, more features are added to it. In the article she explains how there is more of a clear light in the midsection, making this the first thing someone would focus on. It could either be the start of someone looking or the finish, because they can't turn away from what they are seeing.
3.) We easily see that, in saying it is beautiful, and in showing that I have taste, I am concerned, not with that in which I depend on the existence of the object, but with that which I make out of the representation in myself. Everyone must admit that a judgement about beauty, in which the least interest mingles, is very partial, and is not a pure judgement taste.
-Kant
I think what he is trying to say is that we make an image we see into the likeness of ourselves. He makes out his own representation of what he sees. This might mean he is relating the object to himself. He is making a point to show that when people look at something that is articulately classified as beautiful, that we might not all see the actual beauty in the object that it is truly supposed to represent.
4.) Is this "beauty" real beauty? Of what use is it? [...T] hin, grizzled hair, toothless, wrinkles, tainted breath; even long before the end all becomes ugly and repellant; visible paint, sweat, foulness, hideousness. Where then is the god of my idolatry? Where is beauty?
-Leo Tolstory
He questions what real beauty is, and explain that in time everything turns ugly. Beauty lasts for only so long, and then it disappears just like everything else. I think he is asking where the true god of his idea of beauty is. He wants to know where true beauty hides.
5.) ...art exists that one may recover a sensation of life; it exists to make one feel things, to make the stone stony. [...] the technique of art is to make objects "unfamiliar [...] art removes objects from the automatism of perception.
-Victor Shklovsky
Art has been made to make people feel the realness of things. I think he is trying to say when we would look at a painting for example, possibly a painting of a house he wants us to feel what it is really like to be there; the air around, the grass, trees, the house itself. He is trying to explain that everything has meaning, the meaning of life. When he talks about unfamiliar art, he might mean when we see things that are unfamiliar to us it could possibly give us a different understanding or even confuse us to think we are seeing something else or that we are looking at something different.
I enjoyed this reading and found it interesting, because it made me think of the reading from blackboard talking about the women's body and how women self-survey themselves. The pictures on the first page of Anne's article are basically getting surveyed by everyone reading the article. It shows what people really focus on when they see advertisements. I really thought it was interesting when the naked women in the article with her thigh high shoes was compared to the mother feature, because of her midsection.
1.) When I look at the open landscape before me, my self reaches out to the horizon, which separates the lake from the sky. Turning around I see at a shorter distance the woods and the house, and even more close by the ground beneath my feet. All these sights are experiences as being seen from the seat of my self, and they group themselves around it in all directions.
- Rudolph Arnheim
My thoughts on this quote is the separation of everything. Anne uses this quote from Arnheim, because it explains the two different sides of looking at things. Just like separating the two articles on the first page, he talks about separating different things. The sky and lake are farther distance away, showing the huge difference. He says the woods and the house are a closer distance, this could show closer similarities in comparing with her ideas.
2.) Since the middle position is the place of greatest importance, the viewer attributes weight to whatever he finds in that position.
-Rudolph Arnheim
In Anne's article she explains how the women's middle section, (her butt and stomach) are the main things we focus on. People look to that first, because it shows the curves of the human body, and we relate more to spherical shapes, than pointed shapes. Since the women's midsection is the middle, more features are added to it. In the article she explains how there is more of a clear light in the midsection, making this the first thing someone would focus on. It could either be the start of someone looking or the finish, because they can't turn away from what they are seeing.
3.) We easily see that, in saying it is beautiful, and in showing that I have taste, I am concerned, not with that in which I depend on the existence of the object, but with that which I make out of the representation in myself. Everyone must admit that a judgement about beauty, in which the least interest mingles, is very partial, and is not a pure judgement taste.
-Kant
I think what he is trying to say is that we make an image we see into the likeness of ourselves. He makes out his own representation of what he sees. This might mean he is relating the object to himself. He is making a point to show that when people look at something that is articulately classified as beautiful, that we might not all see the actual beauty in the object that it is truly supposed to represent.
4.) Is this "beauty" real beauty? Of what use is it? [...T] hin, grizzled hair, toothless, wrinkles, tainted breath; even long before the end all becomes ugly and repellant; visible paint, sweat, foulness, hideousness. Where then is the god of my idolatry? Where is beauty?
-Leo Tolstory
He questions what real beauty is, and explain that in time everything turns ugly. Beauty lasts for only so long, and then it disappears just like everything else. I think he is asking where the true god of his idea of beauty is. He wants to know where true beauty hides.
5.) ...art exists that one may recover a sensation of life; it exists to make one feel things, to make the stone stony. [...] the technique of art is to make objects "unfamiliar [...] art removes objects from the automatism of perception.
-Victor Shklovsky
Art has been made to make people feel the realness of things. I think he is trying to say when we would look at a painting for example, possibly a painting of a house he wants us to feel what it is really like to be there; the air around, the grass, trees, the house itself. He is trying to explain that everything has meaning, the meaning of life. When he talks about unfamiliar art, he might mean when we see things that are unfamiliar to us it could possibly give us a different understanding or even confuse us to think we are seeing something else or that we are looking at something different.
I enjoyed this reading and found it interesting, because it made me think of the reading from blackboard talking about the women's body and how women self-survey themselves. The pictures on the first page of Anne's article are basically getting surveyed by everyone reading the article. It shows what people really focus on when they see advertisements. I really thought it was interesting when the naked women in the article with her thigh high shoes was compared to the mother feature, because of her midsection.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
BEFORE YOU READ
I believe technology is anything that can keep growing into something even better than what it started out as. As an example, a computer started out with only being able to do a few works, such as paint, playing card games, and looking up a few documents on the internet. Now the computer can do much more than that like finding maps, ordering items, doing research papers, even as simple as ordering and paying for pizza, and having it delivered to your front door.
In Dennis Baron's article, "From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies he wants to prove writing as a technology. He wants to show the good side of computers, and how they have come so far in the last fifteen years. The concept of writing can be so tiresome, and slow that your hand may start to hurt after writing so much. This is where the computer comes into play. It is much easier to type a one page paper than it is to write. This could also be helpful, because for most people type faster than they write. Writing is slow, and ideas are quick. So, what if you forget the ideas you had, because you could not write them down quick enough before they slipped away? Baron starts to talk about how pencils were not made for writing in earlier years, and how they came farther into the picture. They are now used for writing, and looked at as being an old fashioned form. The phone was also not made for what it is used for today. The phone was made to transfer writings and readings. It clearly does so much more than that today. Computers have so many different features than they did when they were first made that we can not begin to imagine the things they will have ten years from now. As the years go down, prices also drop drastically in the making and buying of these products. This makes it accessible to be in almost every middle class home. Baron's main point is that as old technologies seem automatic to us, we look forward and focus more on the new than the old.
COMPARE
Baron's article could go in conversation with James Porter's article, "Intertextuality and the Discourse Community," because they both show how things can progress. While Porter is explaining how newer writings can contain traces of older writings, Baron shows that new technologies can contain traces of older technologies. In both article they are showing how things progress from old to new, but yet keep some part of the original on which they were based upon.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
5) Baron focuses so much on fraud and authenticity, because research is so much more accessible now and easy to copy. If I needed to figure out something to write a paper on, I could type it up on google and get thousands of websites. Some people might just copy the text they see on the screen, and be done with it. He basically is pointing out that fraud is very easy to participate in now, especially considering the fact that fake money has been printed, and used. Nobody even realized until it became an issue that there was counterfeit money.
META MOMENT
I have always thought of writing as a technology, even before reading this article. I have thought of it this way, because I look at technology as anything that can progress. Writing clearly progresses everyday of our lives.
I found this article to be very informative on certain technologies that have progressed over they years. I never knew that the telephone was not made for what it is used for today, or that the pencil was not used to write in the beginning of it being made. He states the obvious in explaining how much computer have progressed over the years. That is clear to anyone who has ever used a computer as a child to now. The graphics, speed, etc are so much better on computers than they were even just a few years ago. Every couple of months there are new computers made and sold on the market. This just goes to show the fast growing process of computer technology.
I believe technology is anything that can keep growing into something even better than what it started out as. As an example, a computer started out with only being able to do a few works, such as paint, playing card games, and looking up a few documents on the internet. Now the computer can do much more than that like finding maps, ordering items, doing research papers, even as simple as ordering and paying for pizza, and having it delivered to your front door.
In Dennis Baron's article, "From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies he wants to prove writing as a technology. He wants to show the good side of computers, and how they have come so far in the last fifteen years. The concept of writing can be so tiresome, and slow that your hand may start to hurt after writing so much. This is where the computer comes into play. It is much easier to type a one page paper than it is to write. This could also be helpful, because for most people type faster than they write. Writing is slow, and ideas are quick. So, what if you forget the ideas you had, because you could not write them down quick enough before they slipped away? Baron starts to talk about how pencils were not made for writing in earlier years, and how they came farther into the picture. They are now used for writing, and looked at as being an old fashioned form. The phone was also not made for what it is used for today. The phone was made to transfer writings and readings. It clearly does so much more than that today. Computers have so many different features than they did when they were first made that we can not begin to imagine the things they will have ten years from now. As the years go down, prices also drop drastically in the making and buying of these products. This makes it accessible to be in almost every middle class home. Baron's main point is that as old technologies seem automatic to us, we look forward and focus more on the new than the old.
COMPARE
Baron's article could go in conversation with James Porter's article, "Intertextuality and the Discourse Community," because they both show how things can progress. While Porter is explaining how newer writings can contain traces of older writings, Baron shows that new technologies can contain traces of older technologies. In both article they are showing how things progress from old to new, but yet keep some part of the original on which they were based upon.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
5) Baron focuses so much on fraud and authenticity, because research is so much more accessible now and easy to copy. If I needed to figure out something to write a paper on, I could type it up on google and get thousands of websites. Some people might just copy the text they see on the screen, and be done with it. He basically is pointing out that fraud is very easy to participate in now, especially considering the fact that fake money has been printed, and used. Nobody even realized until it became an issue that there was counterfeit money.
META MOMENT
I have always thought of writing as a technology, even before reading this article. I have thought of it this way, because I look at technology as anything that can progress. Writing clearly progresses everyday of our lives.
I found this article to be very informative on certain technologies that have progressed over they years. I never knew that the telephone was not made for what it is used for today, or that the pencil was not used to write in the beginning of it being made. He states the obvious in explaining how much computer have progressed over the years. That is clear to anyone who has ever used a computer as a child to now. The graphics, speed, etc are so much better on computers than they were even just a few years ago. Every couple of months there are new computers made and sold on the market. This just goes to show the fast growing process of computer technology.
Monday, October 1, 2012
BEFORE YOU READ
Before starting to read this article, I had never known who Malcolm X was, or what he did. Now I know, he was a black male who dropped out of school his eighth grade year, because he was told by a teacher that he could not read, and would not ever be able to become the lawyer he ended up becoming. He replaced his last name with an "X" symbolizing slaves and how he was called, "Little" by the slave master. He shares many of the same ideas as Deborah Brandt, and this shows through his writing. He was assassinated in about 1965.
In Malcolm X's article, "Learning to Read," he talks about his own personal experience when he was in prison. He is always reading, and loves to read any chance he gets. He talks about the British and English, and how they came to have the "opium war." He speaks on how the Chinese were killed with their own gunpowder, and taken control over at one of their weaker times in history. He says that no matter who it was, they would never be able to steer him away from a book. He would even read at night when all he has was a small light that shone in his cell at night.
The part I most liked about this article was when Malcolm X talks about how he wrote the whole dictionary down in his time at prison. That takes a lot of time, and shows how dedicated he was as a reader. It shows how much he wanted to learn, and what he gained from his experience. I strongly agree with his point that college has too much distractions, and makes it harder for students to read and understand. There are so many parties, frats, sororities, and socialites that just take too much time away from the actual study in the college life of a student.
BEFORE YOU READ
When I learned to read, I was about four years old, almost five. My dad was the first to teach me how to read a book, and my mom was the parent that helped me learn my spelling. If it was not for my mom teaching me how to spell, and put words together, I would have never been able to pick up so quickly on how to read and write. If my parents did not teach me how to read small words and sentences at such a young age, I probably would not enjoy reading and writing as much as I do now.
In Sherman Alexie's article, "The Joy of Reading: Superman and Me," he explains that a superman comic was the first thing he ever learned to read. He does not remember which one it was, who did what, but he remembers that is what he read. He talks about the construct of paragraphs being like a fence for different sentences. He compares this to his family, being seven paragraphs since there are seven people in his family. It is stated two times in the article that if he was not an Indian child from the reservation he would have probably been considered a prodigy, not an oddity.
What I mostly enjoyed about this article was that he explains that he was saving himself learning to read. He loves the fact that he is a smart indian boy, even if his classmates will not own up to it. He is not afraid to show how smart he is, and will not put on a front just because other do this.
COMPARE
In both Malcolm's and Alexie's article I have noticed they both come from a very poor family. Neither of them are expected to go anywhere in life within the reading and writing construct. They both share similarities to Brandt's article. They prove that they, unlike the others can make it possible to become smarter and to learn more than expected. They taught themselves how to read and write, given the conditions in which they lived.
In Bell Hook's article, "Writing Autobiography," she talks about moments that happened in her past as a small child. At the start of her autobiography she wants to 'kill the Gloria of her childhood,' but does not know if she can. She has been struggling for years to write down the events of her childhood. She thinks it has taken her so long, because she can not emotionally let the happenings go. She talks about the black man she had an affair with, and the two memories with him that made her go back to her childhood days. The first is when she talks about him being a smoker, and she was not and did not like to be around the smoke. This made her think of her Uncle Pete. She had never really met him, but she remembered him as a smoker, and a tight embrace that she also shared with the man she was with. In the end of her article, Bell explains that she no longer wants to kill the childhood of 'Gloria,' but has not rescued her, and can live a peaceful life knowing she has come to terms with things that had happened in her past.
COMPARE
In all three article, I have come to the conclusion that they had all come from poor families, with little to show. None of them are white Americans. Malcolm X was a black male who converted to Islam, Alexie was an Indian boy from a reservation, and Hook was a black female. They all had either had trouble reading in the beginning, or were put down and not expected to have been able to go anywhere with reading or writing. They all proved this wrong, and learned to read and write, and produce their own short stories, novels, autobiographies, or poems.
Overall, I enjoyed each article. My favorite was the first article with Malcolm X. I found this the most interesting mainly, because I have heard about him, but never knew exactly who he was, what he did, or why he did it. This article has helped me to better understand who he is, and what he stood for as a person. I have a lot of respect for him for going to prison, and instead of just sitting around, he betters himself as a person, and proves everyone wrong. He makes himself a better person than half of the people in America as my personal opinion.
Before starting to read this article, I had never known who Malcolm X was, or what he did. Now I know, he was a black male who dropped out of school his eighth grade year, because he was told by a teacher that he could not read, and would not ever be able to become the lawyer he ended up becoming. He replaced his last name with an "X" symbolizing slaves and how he was called, "Little" by the slave master. He shares many of the same ideas as Deborah Brandt, and this shows through his writing. He was assassinated in about 1965.
In Malcolm X's article, "Learning to Read," he talks about his own personal experience when he was in prison. He is always reading, and loves to read any chance he gets. He talks about the British and English, and how they came to have the "opium war." He speaks on how the Chinese were killed with their own gunpowder, and taken control over at one of their weaker times in history. He says that no matter who it was, they would never be able to steer him away from a book. He would even read at night when all he has was a small light that shone in his cell at night.
The part I most liked about this article was when Malcolm X talks about how he wrote the whole dictionary down in his time at prison. That takes a lot of time, and shows how dedicated he was as a reader. It shows how much he wanted to learn, and what he gained from his experience. I strongly agree with his point that college has too much distractions, and makes it harder for students to read and understand. There are so many parties, frats, sororities, and socialites that just take too much time away from the actual study in the college life of a student.
BEFORE YOU READ
When I learned to read, I was about four years old, almost five. My dad was the first to teach me how to read a book, and my mom was the parent that helped me learn my spelling. If it was not for my mom teaching me how to spell, and put words together, I would have never been able to pick up so quickly on how to read and write. If my parents did not teach me how to read small words and sentences at such a young age, I probably would not enjoy reading and writing as much as I do now.
In Sherman Alexie's article, "The Joy of Reading: Superman and Me," he explains that a superman comic was the first thing he ever learned to read. He does not remember which one it was, who did what, but he remembers that is what he read. He talks about the construct of paragraphs being like a fence for different sentences. He compares this to his family, being seven paragraphs since there are seven people in his family. It is stated two times in the article that if he was not an Indian child from the reservation he would have probably been considered a prodigy, not an oddity.
What I mostly enjoyed about this article was that he explains that he was saving himself learning to read. He loves the fact that he is a smart indian boy, even if his classmates will not own up to it. He is not afraid to show how smart he is, and will not put on a front just because other do this.
COMPARE
In both Malcolm's and Alexie's article I have noticed they both come from a very poor family. Neither of them are expected to go anywhere in life within the reading and writing construct. They both share similarities to Brandt's article. They prove that they, unlike the others can make it possible to become smarter and to learn more than expected. They taught themselves how to read and write, given the conditions in which they lived.
In Bell Hook's article, "Writing Autobiography," she talks about moments that happened in her past as a small child. At the start of her autobiography she wants to 'kill the Gloria of her childhood,' but does not know if she can. She has been struggling for years to write down the events of her childhood. She thinks it has taken her so long, because she can not emotionally let the happenings go. She talks about the black man she had an affair with, and the two memories with him that made her go back to her childhood days. The first is when she talks about him being a smoker, and she was not and did not like to be around the smoke. This made her think of her Uncle Pete. She had never really met him, but she remembered him as a smoker, and a tight embrace that she also shared with the man she was with. In the end of her article, Bell explains that she no longer wants to kill the childhood of 'Gloria,' but has not rescued her, and can live a peaceful life knowing she has come to terms with things that had happened in her past.
COMPARE
In all three article, I have come to the conclusion that they had all come from poor families, with little to show. None of them are white Americans. Malcolm X was a black male who converted to Islam, Alexie was an Indian boy from a reservation, and Hook was a black female. They all had either had trouble reading in the beginning, or were put down and not expected to have been able to go anywhere with reading or writing. They all proved this wrong, and learned to read and write, and produce their own short stories, novels, autobiographies, or poems.
Overall, I enjoyed each article. My favorite was the first article with Malcolm X. I found this the most interesting mainly, because I have heard about him, but never knew exactly who he was, what he did, or why he did it. This article has helped me to better understand who he is, and what he stood for as a person. I have a lot of respect for him for going to prison, and instead of just sitting around, he betters himself as a person, and proves everyone wrong. He makes himself a better person than half of the people in America as my personal opinion.
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