Writing is a technology- Is the Machine using us?

In this video, several points are made demonstrating that the "machine" is growing more and more everyday.  Electronic text is now much more than thought to be originally.  Not only is it useful and changeable, it links us to everything and everyone.  The internet grows excessively everyday, broadening our horizons and what we can reach in our time.  We are capable of emails, blogs, linking, and other forms of communication all through the technology of text.  While it is a great thing to have so much more freedom and accessibility, it has gotten to a point where it has started to infringe on our privacy and change our way of thinking.

"Writing with Style": Chapter 9

Chapter 9 in John R. Trimble's Writing with Style debates whether or not a person can be taught to have good style.  While both sides of the argument are discussed, it is clear that the winning argument is that it is possible.  Even though most great writers are born with the talent, often grammar and other parts of writing have to be trained or taught to them.  Grammar, punctuation, and other rules are more likely to be taught to students as they move forward in their writing career.  Good ideas and inspiration come from individual people naturally; however, one often has to be taught how to correctly express these thoughts through writing and style.  Those who teach others to write and find their own style are the driving force behind great works today.  Students of great writers learn to make several drafts.  Which each draft, teachers show ways to improve on their writings. Repeating this process over time helps a person develop into an effective writer.  While some aspects of being able to write come naturally to talented people, writing and style can be taught.

FFW- The writing process

My writing process is a lot less dramatic than the video that we watched describing and illustrating Chel White's writing process.  Personally, I write in a completely different way.  For one thing, I have to be in the mood and in the right setting to concentrate in order to write something well.  I can be easily distracted, so usually I can't listen to music unless it doesn't have words or else I end up singing along with the song and typing the lyrics.  Also, people can be very distracting to me, even if they're not talking or being obnoxious.  I work best when I'm in a good setting, most likely my room, and am focused on the task at hand.  Sometimes I struggle if I don't enjoy what I'm writing about; however, if I get into the right mindset I can trick myself into believing I'm passionate about the subject and create a better result.  I have a tendency to leave things to the last minute, but I often work best under pressure when I know I have to get things done.  The video we watched was much more dramatic.  The narrator discussed the frustration of not having a good idea and feeling the need to almost drive off a cliff to get one.  While I've not been driven off a literal edge, I can relate to the frustration.  I find it incredibly distracting and bothersome when I can not come up with a good idea.

In with the old.

As two children walk down a busy city street, they look slightly out of place.  The city is very modern, with cement towers and towering tall buildings.  On the other hand, the children appear to have come from a different sort of place. Dressed in old-fashioned clothing, perhaps from Germany or another European nation, the kids contrast against the modern city.  As the AT&T commercial progresses, the viewer sees that although the kids look like they are from a different time period, they presumably have up to date technology as they pull out a phone.  The contrast between the different worlds emphasizes the importance of the AT&T phone and its easy accessibility.
Unlike the modern city, the children appear to be of a less technologically inclined world.  From the beginning of the commercial, the children drop breadcrumbs to mark their tracks, much like in the old fable of Hansel and Gretel.  The old european outfits of the boy and girl also support the allusion reference to Hansel and Gretel.  Just like in the story, the boy and girl end up lost in an unfamiliar area and the breadcrumbs disappear.  Using this commonly known connection allows viewers to connect to the commercial and understand the ease and importance of the AT&T phone with mapping capabilities.  The contemporary city allows the viewer to relate to a familiar setting while the allegory of Hansel and Gretel connects the viewer to a literary and childhood memory.  By reaching viewers on multiple levels, the commercial tries to better showcase the AT&T product and make the viewers connect with the product through their childhood memories and desire for new technology.

Excitement of another kind.

Excitement is an emotion that can be felt by all people; however, this particular Heineken commercial depicts the different types of enthusiasm that men and women experience and the reason behind them.  While a woman is giving a tour to her acquaintances, she leads them to a walk in closet.  The minute the women open the closet door and see the clothing, shoes, and accessories, they burst into screams of excitement.  From this part of the commercial one can infer that traditionally women experience overwhelming joy over materialistic things such as clothing.
Meanwhile, the men experience a somewhat similar yet different reaction.  The men, appearing bored, make their way towards a different door.  When it opens, they explode into screams of excitement as well.  Unlike the door that the women opened, the door the men opened led to a different room- a walk in freezer full of Heineken beer.  In the rush of excitement, the men scream apparently as loud as the women did over their version of materialistic things.
Through both scenes of enthusiasm with the men and women, Heineken demonstrates the stereotypical materialistic nature of people.  Men are portrayed to be obsessed with beer while the women are fixated on the clothing, shoes, and accessories.  Assuming that both the walk-in fridge and closet cost large sums of money, the commercial demonstrates how consumerism drives our desires and excitement.

Girlfriend Problems.

In an improbable situation, E*TRADE attempts to appeal to its viewers through the humor of talking babies.  The commercial places a possible adult conversation taking place over an online video chat in a childlike setting.  While it is clear that babies are not physically able to carry a conversation like how they are animated to do in the commercial, the different dynamic adds a  is used by the company in hopes of appealing to people's humor.  After captivating the audience with the unlikely scenario, E*TRADE then slips in the important facts and benefits of their company while the viewer is most likely to be paying attention.
The commercial takes an adult conversation and places it in a baby's world.  The main baby boy begins bragging to the baby girl across the video chat about his accomplishments of the day, much like a man would do to impress a woman.  Then, as he shows off, she interjects and asks about whether another baby girl was in attendance.  Similarly, a woman would do so if she was unsure about a man's status.  After the baby girl insults the other baby girl, Lindsay, the baby boy begins to backtrack and defend himself.  Then, Lindsay appears on the screen, surprised and offended at the insult thrown her way.  The thread of the conversation amongst the babies is comparable to that of the stereotypical male lothario who is caught in the act by one of his love interests.
See it for yourself.

AT&T Commercial.

1.) Why is the girl dropping breadcrumbs?
2.) How are the children dressed?
3.) Who are the children supposed to represent?
4.) Who is the target audience?
5.) Why is the commercial set in the city?
6.) What is the commercial trying to sell?
7.) What is the relationship of the children to each other?
8.) What is the effect of the contrast between the modern setting and the children's old-fashioned clothing?
9.)  Why are the children in the city?
10.) What is the significance of the fairytale reference?
11.) When was this commercial made? Why is this significant?
12.) Why is there no dialog?

Heineken Questions.

1.) What is the target audience?
2.) Why are the guests as excited as the owners?
3.) Why does it portray women screaming over clothing?
4.) Why are men the only ones screaming for Heineken?
5.) Why are the people so materialistically?
6.) Why do these men need a refrigerator just for beer?
7.) Why can't men be excited over clothes?
8.) What does it mean if the living space is new to them?
9.) Where was this commercial situated?
10.) Why do we look at the genders as separate?
11.) What does this commercial say about the differences between men and women?
12.) What does this commercial say about the similarities between men and women?

10 things that baseball players do.

1.) Spit
2.) Hit the ball
3.) Throw
4.) Run the bases
5.) Sweat
6.) Catch
7.) Hit homeruns
8.) Wear jerseys
9.) Practice
10. )Sleep

An Unspoken Bond.

The bond between the young deaf girl and the old street performer is a strong and unique relationship built upon shared languages.  The man is able to communicate and understand the girl through both their music and sign language.  He sees her problems and becomes an elder idol with whom she can identify.  The shared arts of music and sign language allow the young girl to speak freely to the man, unlike relationships she shared with other people.  He offers different ways for her to understand things, such as when he tells her "close your eyes. then you will see."  Communicating through music and sign language cement a bond between the young girl and the street performer that outsiders, such as the other competitive girl, have trouble grasping.  Through a different perspective, the girl approaches her passion in a new light.

5 minutes- FFW 9/12

John Trimble makes the case that all writers are like warriors, defending claims and fortifying arguments.  How do you respond to this trope, this figurative turn?


I agree with John Trimble's analysis of writers as warriors.  I think that in a way it's true.  While they may not be physically fighting to defend anything, they are verbally doing it.  Whether a writer is telling a story or forming an opinion piece, they are still trying to say something to the reader and have the reader believe and agree with them.  Arguments, debates, and persuasive pieces demonstrate how a writer defends their words to others.  They can do so using impressive language or listing facts as well.  Writing as  a defensive art can even be considered more effective than physical defense. In history, written essays and other forms of written words often prove more influential and meaningful due to the authors techniques.  One of a writer's purposes is to show a reader an image or have them agree with the writer's words.  Trimble's case is the same way- he acts as a warrior defending this believe as well.

12 minutes.

So here I am at Hofstra and I am blogging.  Writing online makes me feel very open. I never thought of having a blog seriously, but I guess nows a good time to try it out since I have to anyways. It's pretty weird, knowing that everything I say will be out in the world for others to read.  I don't know how people will take it- it could be good or bad.  Not to mention that there are so many different people in the world.  I wonder how many people at Hofstra bog.  You never know what people are really thinking or saying or feeling.  You could walk by some random person who's all smiley and happy but in reality they could be stressing out about anything. I also love walking by people or seeing people with headphones on on the train and trying to pick what kind of music they're listening to. There's so much out there that no one knows about. It's impossible to know everything, and the thought of trying to is kind of intimidating. This is such an odd time, trying to meet all new people. My best friend is over 4 hours away in Delaware but somehow I still feel like I could call her up and we could go on a traditional Coldstone run.  It's weird that no one knows anything about me here, and I can literally reinvent myself however I want. I don't really know how I feel about that. Weird. I think that this year is going to be a lot of work. But you know what they say, you can only have three: sleeping, socializing, school. I wonder what three I'll end up with. I still don't feel like I'm in college yet. I think I could walk back down the halls at CB East and go right into Mr. Mosley's horrible room. I still can't believe I survived that class. Teachers seem so much more like real people than they did in high school. Thank God the food has improved too. I hope I don't get bored of it though... that would be awful. I still don't like this whole blogging thing so far, 12 minutes is a long time. But on the brightside, it's giving me a lot of time to listen to new music. There is no better feeling than when a favorite band comes out with a new record or you find a hidden demo.  I miss going to concerts. They're so freeing, it's hard to explain. When you're there you can just get lost in the music and nothing else matters. You forget what else is going on, no matter what it is.  It's the greatest feeling. I'm not sure what else to say. There's so many things going through my head right now, but I know that if I write them down I can't get them back. I feel like that goes with a lot of things. Once you say or write it or let it out of your head you it's real. For now, I think I'll keep these things to myself just a little bit longer.