Nessi's dead.

Yeah, Nessi passed away. His daughter is alive, though.  People often mistake her for Nessi.  She doesn't mind, though, because it keeps the name of her father alive.  She doesn't actually have her own name, Nessi's daughter, because everyone thinks she's Nessi.  See, Nessi was named by superstitious Irish people and since they still think he's alive they haven't come up with a name for his daughter. This will probably never happen, though, the whole name game business.  If there is no way to prove that Nessi is alive, than how can they prove that he's dead? Now, you are probably wondering how I know Nessi's dead. I would tell you but I can't.  I'm kind of in cahoots with the MIH (Monsters in Hiding) and I have been sworn to secrecy.  The MIH was created to hide monsters such as bogarts (they commonly live under beds so they are confused as "Boogie Men"), mummy's that have come back to life, and even the occasional zombie experiment gone wrong. (Sadly, the zombies are often destroyed because of the danger of brains being eaten.) Back to my point, Nessi is dead, his daughter is alive, and I am a now not so secret member of the now not so secret MIH. Why publish this, you hypothetically ask? Because why not, that's why.

Three Genres

Genre #1: Satirical Review

Important Characteristics: This review is very humorous and clever.  The story it tells is quite humorous, and is making fun of the types of people that might wear a wolf shirt.  If this piece’s goal was to be humorous, and I believe it was, than it should make people laugh.  Exaggeration and crude descriptions in this case helps to make a reader laugh.  It mentions Wal-Mart, which is a very popular super market, so a reader is able to conjure up memories from their own life.  Being able to relate a story to real life, no matter what kind of story it is, is important.  My own satirical review would be much like this.

Purpose: To poke fun at the people who wear these kinds of wolf shirts.  This article is clearly making fun of a certain stereotype of people and of a certain product.  If I were to write a satirical review, or any kind of satirical piece I would most likely want to make fun of something.  The writer does not come straight out and say he is making fun, though, but it is obvious in the way the piece is written. 

Audience: People who are looking for a review of the wolf shirt.
Stance (tone/voice): Humorous, satirical, detailed in a sort of, for lack of a better term, crude way.
Media/Design:  Internet/product review.

Genre #2: Complaint Letter

Important Characteristics: There is a certain amount of frustration in this particular complaint letter, and I am sure there is much frustration in any complaint letter.  Bits of humor, though perhaps not on purpose, do sneak into a complaint letter.  If I were to write a complaint letter I would most likely model it off my complaint letter of choice.  There would be frustration, much description of just what is bothering me so much, and perhaps even some humor will slip in there. The humor would most likely slip in due to a slightly cocky attitude from the writer.

Purpose: To express a frustration, to get a point across, to make your problem known, and of course for entertainment.
Audience: The one that is receiving the complaint letter and anyone else who happens to read this letter. 
Stance (tone/voice): Frustrated and slightly cocky. (The cockiness might translate into something humorous.)
Media/Design: Letter or e-mail.

Genre #3: Obituary.
Important Characteristics: There is a simple but kind tone of voice.  It paints this particular woman in a good light.  It tells the story of a woman’s life, but is not incredibly detailed. 
Purpose: To announce the death of someone and to tell their life story in a nut-shell.
Audience: Family, friends, neighbors.
Stance (tone/voice): Gentle, simple, kind.
Media/Design: Newspaper and internet.

Final Analysis

Name: Vietnam War Protesters.

Genre: Photograph

Outline: #1.

            This photograph is of Vietnam War Protestors.  It is in black and white and in the center of the image is a sign with the words: “END THE WAR IN INOCHINA VIETNAM NOW” painted on it.  A young man, probably in his early twenties, is holding up the sign.  Linking arms with him are two men of around the same age.  All three men’s mouths are open, possibly in the midst of shouting.  In the foreground of the image are more protestors, but only their heads are showing.  In the corner, barely visible, is an American flag. 

Purpose:  The main purpose of this photograph is to show protestors of the Vietnam War.  Based on the photo itself, the photographer seems unbiased and was simply capturing a moment.  It also shows how angry and loud these people were.  The linked arm’s represents the unity between them.

Audience:  The audience was and is all American’s.  An anti-war American would appreciate this photo more than someone who felt differently, but it is intended for both sides to see.

Stance:  As mentioned above the photographer appears to be unbiased on the subject of the Vietnam War and of the protestors.  The people in the photo themselves, however, are not so unbiased.  They are obviously anti-war, and are quite loud and bold about this stance. 

Media: The media of this is version of the photograph is digital, but at one time I am sure it was in print, perhaps in a magazine or newspaper.

Ethos: I do not know who the original publisher or who the original photographer were.  Therefore I am unsure of the credibility of this photo.  I am going to assume it is from a credible source.

Logos: The photo features three men in the foreground of the picture, they all appear to be shouting and their arms are linked together.  In the background are what appears to be hundreds of more people who also appear to be shouting.  This depicts the protestors as a unified group of people.  The sign in the middle of them that states, “END THE WAR IN INDOCHINA VIETNMAN NOW” shows exactly what is unifying them.  This photograph is simply telling the truth of the matter.  This is what the protestors were against, and this how they showed it.

Pathos: The description of the photograph under logos is what makes this piece so strong.  The determination of the protestors is spilling from this photo.  Their heads are held high, they appear to be yelling, their arms are linked, etc.  They are a determined and angry group of people and that is clearly shown in the photo.

Thesis:

            This photograph is of Vietnam War Protestors.  It is in black and white and in the center of the image is a sign with the words: “END THE WAR IN INOCHINA VIETNAM NOW” painted on it.  A young man, probably in his early twenties, is holding up the sign.  Linking arms with him are two men of around the same age.  All three men’s mouths are open, possibly in the midst of shouting.  In the foreground of the image are more protestors, but only their heads are showing.  In the corner, barely visible, is an American flag.  The photographer of this photo did a very good job of showing the unity, and the power behind the Vietnam War protestors. Perhaps also the photographer supported these protestors, in which case he does a very good job of that too. 

Evidence:

      i.         The unity of these protestors is shown in their linked arms.  The linked arms continue out of the edges of the photograph, giving it the feeling that they continue on. 

     ii.         Power is clearly shown in this photograph.  The photographer captured the protestors with their heads held high, in the midst of their chant.  The three men take up most of the photo, making them appear larger than those behind them.  This also makes it seem as though the crowd continues on for miles.  The numbers in themselves represent power.

   iii.         The fact that the sign, with the words, “End the war in Indochina Vietnam now” is center of the photo, shows that the photographer was trying to capture what was motivating these protestors.  By capturing this he was in a way supporting their cause. 

Conclusion:

It is the linked arms, the faces in the midst of chanting, the vast amount of people, the placement of these people in the photograph, and the sign in the center of it all. The photographer made sure to capture these specific elements in order to creature a clear purpose. That purpose is to show the power and the unity behind the Vietnam War protestors. It is also to support the protestors themselves. 

       

Snoopy and Doonesbury

2. What main argument does Schulz make about writing, editors, and revision? What evidence from the text supports this interpretation?

            Charles Schulz, in his peanuts comic, is trying to make a point about writing, editors, and revision.  Snoopy in this particular comic seems to think that he does not need to revise his piece at all and that is simply wonderful on its own.  The editors keep sending it back, though, and so they obviously think different.  I am sure Schulz faced much criticism and had a lot of trouble publishing his comics at first.  He kept pushing it though, and most likely revised some of the pieces at least a little, and finally was published.  Perhaps, though, Schulz barely changed anything from the original comics and simply did not give up on them.  If that is the case than maybe this comic about Snoopy trying to get published is saying that you should not give up, and you should keep on pushing.  Although Snoopy also has a bit of a skewed idea of what getting published really means.  He seems to think it will make him rich and famous, as was the case for his creator.  This is very hard to do.

1. According to Trudeau, what is wrong with the American higher education system? What visual and written evidence supports his argument? How does Trudeau make use of the conventions of comics to support his argument?

Trudeau believes that the American higher education system is, as stated on page 180, “dumbing down” the college curriculum.  The comic strongly supports this notion.  At one point a character in the comic says, “Hell, we offer two courses on ‘The Simpsons’.”  This is in a support of the characters argument that the courses are not too difficult in fact they are too easy. The man this character is talking to is explaining all of the complaints they are getting about the courses not being student friendly enough.  The main character of the comic is present (Doonesbury, I assume is who that is), and this helps for the audience to connect with the comic.  The readers are familiar with the main character, and so having him appear in the beginning and the end possibly helps to make the comic more entertaining, and maybe even more insightful. 

Katrina blog post

2. Identify the intended audiences for this photograph. What evidence from the photograph supports this interpretation?

The damage Katrina left behind affected thousands of Americans and so I believe the intended audience for this photograph is all Americans.  The majority of the people in the photograph are African-American, and they are all struggling to board a bus that will take them to shelter.  This does not mean, however, that the photo is intended for African-American’s only.  It supports the fact that African-American people were struggling after Katrina and receiving minimal help, possibly because of their race.  All Americans, but especially the government, could have helped fix this.  I put emphasis on the government because they are the ones with the most power, thus they could provide the most help.  It is argued that they did not provide much help because of the race of these struggling people.  The government should help all people, though, no matter what their race might be.  They are still apart of this country, and deserve to be helped when needed.  They especially deserve to be helped after such a terrible thing like Katrina.  This photograph, in my eyes, says just that.  If the intended audience of this photograph is all Americans, than perhaps the next time something like this occurs they will strive to push for more help to be brought to the people. 

Adbusters: The Blackspot Unswoosher

2. Analyze the visual elements of the ad, including the font used for words, the color shading, sizing, positioning, etc. How do they support/not support the overall purpose of Adbusters' argument?

            The ad for the Blackspot Unswoosher shows an image of the shoe with its different parts labeled.  Beneath this image is a description of the product.  I am not so sure how effective this advertisement is in selling its product.  The text is bold and intense, which is not very appealing in my eyes.  They could have been going for this bold and intense font in order to seem just that, though, bold and intense.  If this is the case, they achieved their goal and the advertisement is indeed effective.  The image of the shoe shows all of the angels and aspects of the shoe.  There are also labels pointing to the different parts of the shoe.

For example the recycled tire sole is labeled.  It does more than just label what the physical thing is, though.  It also labels the sole as “union made”.  This “union made” label supports what the shoe was made to do.  According to the text below the image it is made out of vegetarian materials, organic hemp uppers, recycled tire soles, and, as is also stated by the label, it is made by a union factory.  Obviously this shoe is advertising an eco-friendly, union supporting, shoe. 

            I do feel that the way the advertisement is set up is quite effective.  The whole of the shoe is shown, the pieces of the show are labeled, and labeled in such a way that it supports the ideas behind it, and it features a description of the show at the bottom.  If I was a person looking for an eco-friendly shoe than I would be very persuaded by this advertisement and I would want to buy this shoe. 

"Why Are We Dressing our Daughters Like This?" Blog post.

1.     In "Why Are We Dressing Our Daughters Like This?" Lianne George writes: " Girls as young as 6 are adopting the external cues of womanhood, adorning themselves not only with lip gloss and nail polish, but also body sprays, skin glitters, and spa lotions." How does the previous quote support the purpose of George's essay? Do you agree with George that allowing girls to wear lip gloss, nail polish, etc. opens up the possibility for girls to dress in sexually provocative ways? Why or why not?

This quote in a sense summarizes the ideas of the essay itself.  It shows, in one sentence, the things girls are doing to themselves to try to be prettier.  The essay is talking about how young girls are putting much focus on material things that will somehow alter or enhance their appearance.  I do agree with George on some levels.  I do not think that an emphasis should be put on makeup when it comes to little girls.  I do, however, think that it is ok to let little girls play dress up.  When I was six years old I played with all of the things listed in the quoted sentence.  And now, at eighteen years old, I do not have the desire to dress provocatively.  I do, however, feel most comfortable and most confident when wearing makeup.

      This essay does make me wonder whether or not I feel that way because of the makeup I played with when I was younger.  I recall once dressing my face up with my friend, and my mom telling me how gorgeous I looked.  This made me very happy, of course.  Did I feel so happy because I felt pretty?  Or did I feel happy because I had received praise for something I had done well?  Although I played with makeup when I was younger I never wore clothing that was ever considered provocative or inappropriate for my age.  I have however seen images of very young girls, sometimes only five years old, dressed up in clothing that should only ever be worn by a grown woman, to put it simply.  I do believe that this would affect a young girl and open up the possibility for her to dress in sexually provocative ways when she grows up.