English 101.25 - Say It Ain't So

The title for this blog comes from what I did for my rhetoric project; post secret (in which I made post cards detailing some secrets I have in my life). Sometimes I wish they weren't true. Anyways, the prompt for this week is:

"What did you think was the most effective type of media in presenting an aspect of rhetoric? Would you have chosen a different media source if you could for the rhetorical analysis project? Why or why not?"

The most effective type of media in presenting an aspect of rhetoric is on television. The one video seen in class on Thursday would have had music going along with the pictures. In my opinion, having music going along with the images are more powerful than just reading words or seeing images off a piece of paper. Even though those advertisements on handouts or postcards can be kept with people for longer periods of time and be remembered longer, more people pay attention to what is on television nowadays. Less and less people are reading, and generally only read if they have to for classes or for other specific jobs.

If I had the choice to change what media source I completed my project in, I would have chosen the video. The video seems like a fun and interesting way to get a point across. The thing is, I am not that creative or really want to dedicate all of my time to do something as extenstive as that. Props to those who did the videos for the project! Also, to those who did advertisements and post secret, the ones that I saw had time and effort put in so kudos to you as well! Just I would have put more time into the video then what I did for post secret. I still had a good time conveying my ideas/secrets to others, however.

Either way, I believe visuals are more effective than just words.

English 101.25 - Your Hand in Mine

The prompt for this week is:

"In response to the Taylor Swift article we read and discussed about in class, what is one song that means something to you? Is it by your favorite artist? Analyze the lyrics (if there are any). When listening to the song, what images come to mind? Why?"

Finally, the title to my blog will have a real meaning. I'm definitely a music person, as many people know or can tell. I play 3 musical instruments and listen to music everywhere I go. Anyways, one song that means something to me is the song "Your Hand in Mine" by Explosions in the Sky. This group is not my favorite artist, and this is the only song I have by them. Unfortunately, there are no lyrics.

The movie Friday Night Lights (2004) follows the story of the 1988 Permian High School Panthers football team as they made a run towards the Texas state championship. “Your Hand in Mine”, an instrumental song, has electric guitar, bass and drums playing throughout the piece. Towards the end of the song, the guitars play the same melody while the drummer plays just the bass drum and cymbals. As the continuous beat grows through volume and pitch, I become more emotional because I relive moments in my life. These heart-warming moments consist of fond experiences with my family and friends from various occasions. These images never change regardless of who listens along with me. Despite this, new memories merge together with the old ones as I spend more time with those I truly care about.

This song was repeated several times throughout the film, and at the end it really captured my attention. The pinnacle of this song was when the coach of the football team was alone in the boys’ locker room. He replaced the names of former players on lockers with new players after they lost the state championship game. I realized that throughout life many memories and special moments occur. People spend certain parts of their lives creating relationships with others. Sometimes different people leave one’s life due to a move, confrontations, or death. However, when these individuals leave their lives, new people become apart of their lives. A never ending cycle happens, and this demonstrates itself through the power of music.

English 101.25 - I Second That Emotion

I decided to title this one after a good oldies tune. Here's the prompt:

"What do you think is the most effective form of rhetoric out of Logos, Pathos, and Egos? Why? Knowing that they do tie together very well, try to just choose one and argue for it. Which do you think John Krakauer is most reliant on, or which do you notice the most while reading Into the Wild?"

Personally, I think the most effective form of rhetoric is Pathos because it pertains to emotions and the reader. Emotions are our feelings, which can be swayed at times to favor certain things. Emotions sometimes take control of a situation, whether it's being extremely happy at a wedding or very angry because a boyfriend/girlfriend cheated on you. Also, think about politics; politicians sometimes talk about research for cancer, health care, or the conflict in the Middle East to gain support because so many of us have been affected by these topics. They play with our emotions in a sense.

For John Krakauer, I believe he is most reliant on Pathos as well, because he is talking about the journey of Chris McCandless. His journey has taken many twists and turns, from not talking to his family to eventually dying cold and alone of starvation. Krakauer picks apart every difficult situation Chris dealt with and it showed his strength to perservere. Some people would have likely given up instead of giving up everything to live this new lifestyle.

I don't know about you, but emotions tend to get the best of me.

English 101.25 - Easier to Run

Easier to Run by Linkin Park seemed fit for the title here, mainly because I couldn't think of any song related specifically to hitchhiking. Anyways, here is the prompt:

"How do you think the use of hitchhiking has changed over time? What do you think is the cause of this? Is it beneficial to those in need or just overall too dangerous? Explain your thoughts."

I know this practically sounds like what Rachael said on her blog, but I really have no idea of how hitchhiking has changed over time. There have been times where I have seen hitchhikers on streets or highways, but other than that I don't know much about them. I understand there are some laws prohibiting hitchhiking in some areas, such as various ramps on highways, which is probably why I haven't seen many people wanting a ride on the side of roadways in recent times. Maybe one thing that has changed is the fact that many people might not see hitchhikers in large numbers, or even at all.

Hitchhiking does help those in need, but many people won't offer rides to those on the side of the street because they don't even know the person. They have to rely on first impressions and their instincts. In my lifetime, I have not seen anyone pick up a hitchhiker except for times in the movies. Of course, that is not exactly what I'd call real. Some people don't like the idea of hitchhikers and feel they can walk (or run if I refer to the title of the song) to get where they want or need to go. I admit that my family is one that does not pick up hitchhikers, but we tend to offer rides to those people we know. However, that is not hitchhiking at all. I guess my family really hasn't talked about this kind of thing, even though people are supposed to do what they can to help others out. Some people are ignorant to those who need help, others look the other way, and others still are scared of them. What people have to realize is that they are people too. They are just in a different situation than oneselves'.