Essay #2 Rough Draft

Amy Plastow

Professor Begert

English 101

31 October 2015

There are probably more than two thousand different print ads. The creators of these ads target a specific audience and want to convince people that whatever their claim is, it is right. I myself love looking at magazine with ads that have clothes, perfumes, new yummy deserts, and more. But when it comes time to analyzing these ads, I realize how uninvolved with the product they are. 

For this analysis I will be talking about two different print ads from the largest American retailer for women’s lingerie, Victoria’s Secret. Each of these ads have a specific vibe they are giving off, sexy, flirty, fun, seductive, and more. All two of these ads were published by Victoria’s Secret. They are intended for women who want to feel good about themselves. They can also target men, if the company has a woman who looks sexy in a certain piece of lingerie for an ad, he will want to buy that for his girlfriend or wife (if he has one). If he doesn't then his mind will tell him that what he is seeing is “desirable” and then he will be in search of finding a woman who looks like a Victoria’s Secret model. Women love to feel beautiful, so seeing these ads, women will think that if they buy whatever is being modeled, they too will look as beautiful as the women who is wearing it in the ad. 

I have found some ads that have been put out by Victoria’s Secret. These ads are selling a product(s) that has been popular amongst women throughout America. Victoria’s Secret knows what men and woman want, therefore they are geniuses on making a company that sells just that. Victoria’s Secret knows they will get costumers if they have various types of fragrances, panties, bras, etc. With the picture ads that they are putting out, they know it will draw people from all over to shop at their stores. 

So the picture to the left is a perfume add… I think. This is a picture of a woman with long wavy hair sitting up against what looks to b  back. Her legs are bent up in a weird, uncomfortable way. At the bottom of the ad it says Victoria’s Secret, which makes sense because that is who published the ad. But then it’s the top that confuses me. It reads “dream angels heavenly” and below that it says, “America’s #1 fragrance”. I don't see a picture of the bottle of perfume anywhere on this ad. If the word’s “Americans #1 fragrance” was not on this ad I wouldn't have known what it was trying to sell… angel wings?  It makes sense that the woman in this image is wearing angel wings on her back, because the perfume is called heavenly. But still, where is the perfume bottle?  It is strange that there is nothing about this “fragrance” other than the name and that it is Americas #1 fragrance. Maybe the ad creators’ purpose was to tell a fact to the future buyers. So in that way it could intrigue them by the fragrance being Americas #1 choice of perfume.

e a marble wall. She has a pair of angel wings on her

This next picture ad looks as though it is an advertisement for the overall Victoria’s Secret merchandise. But then when we look more in depth at it we then realize it is just targeted  towards the bras. Not once on this ad does it say anything about it just being bras. So the reader therefore has to infer that from just the small amount of text it provides us.

The image to the right is a picture ad published by Victoria’s Secret. It contains ten young, skinny, beautiful, models. They all have what men and women “deem” to be appealing to the eye. All of the girls look very comfortable with each other. Some are leaning against each other, others are almost giggling, and they all look like they are best friends. That is the vibe that this ad gives off and so the reader thinks maybe if she will get one of these bra and panties, then she too will have a good time.

Viewing from left to right it starts with a woman wearing the Long Line Demi, she is standing up tall as if to be “long” as the title says. Her arms are askew with her elbows back, making her chest pop out. Then one of her legs are bent towards the other knee to have a more relaxed look. The second girl over from the left is wearing New! Unlined Demi. She is leaning against the third girl over, she looks very relaxed. Maybe she is looking relaxed as to show that the Unlined Demi bra is comfortable.

The woman wearing the Perfect Coverage collection is showing us basically the side view, which doesn't help when the potential buyer(s) wants to see how much it actually covers. She is looking down and is smiling, her left that is facing us is bent. The woman looks like she is kind of shy and confident at the same time. Possibly because she has “perfect coverage”.

Next to the perfect coverage we have Demi. Demi is being showed off by a woman who has a hand through her hair. Her legs are crossed and she is giving the camera almost a seductive stare. Fifth woman standing from the left is turned at an angle which makes sense because she is modeling the Racerback bra. We still get to see what the side view looks like as well as the back, which is what makes it called the racerback. 

Next, alike to the unlined bra, we have a woman wearing another more natural feeling bra, a wireless one. She looks very confident in her body, which is what everyone should feel, especially when wearing a wireless bra, or as they advertise. The fourth lady from the right is wearing bra that is Multi-way. Well, right now we only get to see one way that the bra can be worn, and only from one angle, the front. So the buyer can't really know what to expect from this bra just by glancing at the ad. 

“Perfect Shape”, now what does that entirely mean? The woman’s body? The way the bra fits or the way it is made? All we can infer from the model who is wearing the perfect shape bra is that it is a regular bra that you could probably get at Walmart.

The new bra called Perfect Comfort Demi Push-up is also being modeled in this ad! The title sounds like a mixture of all the bras. The model looks like she is indeed comfortable! Although it is just a picture, her stance looks very relaxed. The panties that go with the matching bra look comfortable also, they aren't as low as the other that are being worn by the other models. So the creator of this certain line did a good job with saying perfect comfort, it isn't a lie. 

Lastly, there is a woman wearing just a regular push-up bra. She is smiling and playing with her hair. She genuinely looks happy in her body, perhaps it’s because of the bra.

What I don’t get from this ad overall is that it never once mentions that it is just mainly a bra advertisement. In the middle it says “Explore the collection” so were assume it is bras as well as panties that we will be looking at. But at the very bottom where it says the collections names, they all have to do with how the bra is and how it fits. There is nothing about the panties name or how they are/fit.

Both of these print advertisements from Victoria’s Secret are misleading. They don't say the correct information they should to the consumer. It never says anything about how much the products are. The perfume ad doesn't say the different forms you could get the perfume in, travel size, fragrance mist, or perfume. So we don't know what size of the perfume we can get or at what price. The Perfect “Body” ad is misleading in the way that we don't know what patterns or colors the collections come with. We don’t know if they only have certain sizes in certain collections. The purpose of these ads are to have young, attractive women who are the main focus in these. That way it will draw attention to the buyer and the end result is Victoria’s Secret will get good business.

In Class lab 10/27

Summary: This ad is showing a young looking girl with one of the effects of smoking. If you had white teeth before and a beautiful smile then start smoking, you will end up with yellow teeth which doesn’t make you have an attractive smile.

Paraphrase: When people smoke their bodies will pay for it. One of them is getting yellow teeth. With your yellow teeth you are more likely to contract gum disease. A smoker with gum disease is more likely to also lose their teeth, more than the average person

Quotation: “Smoking can cause yellow teeth and serious gum disease that makes it more likely to lose your teeth than someone who doesn’t smoke.”(The Real Cost Campaign)

Summary, Paraphrase and Quote

Summary:
Heather Havrilesky's analysis, Mad Men: Stillbirth of the American Dream talks about how the American dream is nothing more than a dream. It is a dream that is hard to be obtained. It looks pleasing to the eye but behind the scenes in real life, it is miserable (170-175 Havrilesky)

Paraphrase:
Heather Havrilesky believes that the American dream is perceived  by the whole world as easy, but in reality, it is not. Humans are always looking for something bigger and better. This is a trait that we get when we are born, and even to our future generations, we pass that trait on. The perceived American dream is being the best of the best and having it all. We get caught up in these false dreams and we tend to think of our lives as mediocre and unbearable (170 Havrilesky).

Quotation:
"The lovely details of this fantasy-- the hairstyles, the costumes and the props that come with the dream-- occasionally fail to obscure the confused humans who straighten their shoulders and dry their eyes and take the stage day after day"(174 Havrilesky)

In Class Lab 10/22

            1)      PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)

Freedom for Animals

Mercy for Animals

ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

  

 2)      People who use products that can make animals suffer. These ads are targeted towards people who are against animal cruelty or towards the common consumer to convince them to be against animal cruelty.

3)      We can tell this by the words they say like: “300,000 animals lab animals suffer each year,” “please don’t wear any fur,” and, “don’t judge animals by their history.”

4)      The purpose is to stop animal cruelty and testing.

5) They ad pictures of animals to make readers feel emotions towards their cause. They added celebrities in some of the ads to draw attention as well. All the ads try to make you feel sympathy, compassion and emotionally moved by their stories.

6) There is a pit bull who had a past of cruelty who wants a home and a sad pig behind bars. Pigs are being crammed in a cage that is barely longer than it is and will never breathe fresh air or see the sun. (ASPCA)

7) These ads are raising awareness to the cruelty of animal testing and abuse and well as wearing fur and judging an animal by it’s past. Overall, they want animals to stop being treated like dirt and start receiving the love and compassion they deserve.

Coca-Cola Summary

Melissa Rubin wrote and analysis titled "Advertisements R Us", which you can find in the English textbook, "Everyone's an Author". During Rubins analysis she talks about a Coca-Cola ad from the 1950's. She points out all the hidden meanings that lie in the ad. She pointed out how there were only white people, no African Americans, still because of the racial discrimination going on at that time era. Another "flaw" that the author talks about is how there are very few women in this ad. There are a few, but they are not in the very front, they are in the back with a crowd of people. The people in this ad that are at the front of all of the rest of the citizens are men in uniform. The author then went on and talked about how Coca-Cola shipped over their drinks during WWII for the soldiers. Rubin also pointed out that floating in the sky is the Coca-Cola Sprite Boy, he is acting sort of like a God. The pixie-like boy is holding out a hand and gesturing it towards the people to show that all of the people down below are enjoying Coca-Cola.  The background represents the 1950's and the environment they lived in, industrial buildings and skyscrapers. Lastly, the very center of the ad there is a huge Coca-Cola vending machine. On that machine it has the slogan "Work Refreshed" implying that if you are working, you can drink a Coke and you will feel refreshed.

Thinking about the Text: Coca-Cola #1-4

1) The author, Melissa Rubin offers insight that is about her concerns with the Coca-Cola ad and what she has inferred about it. Some evidence is that all of her main points that she had to say about the ad related greatly to what was going on in the picture. For example, Rubin talked about how there was no African Americans in that ad. During the time that the ad was published racial discrimination was still a big problem. If there were to be some African Americans in a Coca-Cola ad it would be famous people; Louis Armstrong, Ghram Jackson, Duke Ellington and a few more. Rubin has persuaded me to accept her conclusions, all of them were clear and effective to the reader. She made sure to get every detail in that one ad and analyze it throughly. Rubin did a tremendous job writing this analysis and I fully support what she has to say.
2) Rubin incorporated historical context while talking about the effects Coca-Cola had on WWII. She mentioned that during the war the company (Coca-Cola) would ship over bottles of Coca-Cola and sell them to the troops for only 5 cents. After the United States won that war countries overseas wanted Coca-Cola, possibly because they thought it would make them win at things. This information that the author put in also pertains to the ad that she was talking about. The "key" people in this ad are up front and they are all in uniform.
3)We can learn from the United States culture and background with Coca-Cola. We learn that we had issues with African Americans. That women in this ad are not the target. Im not sure what exact audience the author is trying to target. Is it just men? simply because women are not shown as much in the ad as men are. Or is it just towards the men in uniform?
4)Nowadays, Coca-Cola ads usually go like this; There is a party going on, possibly at a beach or in a backyard, and someone takes a crisp, cool Coca-Cola out of the cooler. Then the person opens the can/bottle and it makes a noise that appeals to the audience (but in reality the can opening doesn't sound as cool as it does on TV). So this is mainly our time eras values, to have a cold drink at a party, non-alcoholic, bubbly and refreshing.  The ads compare because they are both targeting the audience that is relevant at the time. They both make drinking Coca-Cola look like a good time.

Stay Sweet As You Are: Fitting the criteria of an analysis paper

 
How does this paper fit the criteria for an analysis paper?

The author, Doug Lantry is talking to men and women, I would mostly say he is targeting women as his audience because all the adds he talks about have to do with misconceptions on women and how ad’s perceive/want women to act like. He analyzed these three ads and his purpose was to show that they are all misleading. They all tell women that if they use their product they will end up happy and in love. The author seemed very into the topic, you could tell that he was trying to point out the flaws in everyday advertising and how they draw men and women into using the product. Each of the three ads that Lantry was analyzing got talked about a bit. He made sure to explain every detail of each ad and to explain what is wrong and misleading about them. I think the best way that this paper could be delivered as is in a printed format. That way we can see the pictures and read at the same time to compare each story with the picture.  This paper was easy to follow because the pictures were right next to the writing that corresponded with each other. Overall this was a magnificent analysis that was very well thought out and written.

Collabroative Exercise 10/20

What we now know about analysis papers:

You have to appeal to your audience

You have to do a lot of research

Make sure your evidence supports your stance

Make sure you are clear with your audience so they aren’t confused

You have to be interested in your topic

Rhetorical, cause, data, and process are all kinds of analysis

Rhetorical analysis represents the opposite opinion

Cause analysis you look for why something happened

Data analysis you find patterns in the information given or gathered

Process analysis you decided if your analysis will be informational or instructional, informational tells how something works and instructional tells how something is done.

Mad Men: Stillbirth of the American Dream Q's #1-4

1. Heather Havrilesky's main insight on Mad Men is how the american dream is perceived as easy to obtain but in reality it is not.  I can tell that because in the second paragraph she the typical american dream but then she also says that it is harder to get nowadays because its just something that isn't realistic.
2. A small description on the bottom of page 170 states that Havrilesky works at Salon and she is a television critic. She wrote this story at the beginning of a brand new season of the TV show Mad Men, which is based in the 1960's.
3. The author definitely peaks the readers interest and emotion right away in the first paragraph. At the end of the first paragraph she says that once we start continuously viewing the best of things and people that it slowly effects us personally and we think that our lives aren't good enough anymore. Also, at the top of 171 Havrilesky sums it up and says that we are falling short, always have been, always will be. No matter what we pass this feeling of dissatisfaction to our children. Another paragraph that sparks emotion in the reader is the third paragraph on page 174. She basically says the "behind the scenes" of the american dream. Even though what she is talking about is  a TV show, it still reflects an everyday life. The author gives the reader the brutal truth about the american dream and that it just isn't that special once we get it.
4. I have not watched Mad Men before. I understand the basics of the show and how it clearly represents the "American Dream". Havrilesky has made me want to watch it, the first episode at least, so I know what I just read.  Throughout the story she used very descriptive details to describe parts of events that have happened throughout the series. The one detail that stood out to me the most was on page 175 the last paragraph she said, "...embodied most gruesomely in the lawn mower accident last season." That made me curious as to what that statement is pertaining to.

Look For: Analysis in Everyday Use 10/15

Olive Garden in Silverdale Reviews

Lets say I am from a different state, I ended up in Washington and I looked at the reviews for Olive Garden in Silverdale. There are two great websites that both have reviews for that exact restaurant; Yelp and TripAdvisor. I am most likely going to pick Yelp's review website. Why?, because unlike TripAdvisor's site there are colorful pictures! The pictures make the website more interesting and you will be more likely to read them. On TripAdvisor the site looks messy, whereas on Yelp it is clean and easy to find the reviews. On the Yelp page it shows the deals that are going on currently at Olive Garden, so you know that it is updated reviews and it is a very active page. The overall rating on Yelp is 3 stars, TripAdvisor has 3.5 that might be misleading to the eye but once you read the reviews on Yelp they mostly are 5 stars! And the few that are not 5 stars are nothing lower than 2 stars. Which they mostly talk about the seating and how it took awhile to be seated. But that can only mean one thing! That this Olive Garden is popular and well enjoyed by many people.

Think About: My Own Use of Analysis 10/15

I decided this morning if I wanted tea or coffee
also I decided if I wanted yogurt or toast.
Since it was the morning I couldn't tell what my body wanted quite yet, I settled with toast and a cup of tea.

Last week I decided if I wanted to drive down to see my sister in college or if I wanted to stay home and do homework instead.
I had so much homework to do, but I figured that since I had a four day weekend I could squeeze in a drive to Olympia to visit my sister.

Last month I decided what I should get my dad for his birthday present.
It was the day before his birthday and I still hadn't gotten him anything. So I decided instead of buying him something I would do things for him. Like wash and vacuum his truck, make him a birthday cake, and get him water when he asked.

Last year I decided if I wanted to do Running Start or not, that was a big decision.
I knew that I didn't fit in with the High School students and so I thought that since my sister did running start(only part time) that I should try it too. I know what I want to do for a living and I thought I could get a head start on it. So far it is a lot better than high school.

Two years ago I realized what occupation I wanted to do for a  living, which is business.
I figured out what I wanted to do when I realized that I like to have weight on my shoulders. Not entirely stressful weight but I like to have stuff to do that will improve something in the long run. I also like being organized and I want to be the person that wears a feminine suit to work with high heels, my hair in a tight bun. I know how I want to live my life up until I start a family and I will do anything to get to that. I have had a clear image for about 2 years and I know it will happen. 

Essay #1

 

Amy Plastow

Professor Begert

English 101
10 October 2015

            Essay #1 Rough Draft

It’s the end of General
Psychology class one day and the professor tells us that we have four modules
to read in the next three days. I get home and I am immediately stressed out.
It takes me at least one hour to read one module. If it is an interesting module
then I won’t have an issue with reading it. If it is about history or something
that is not intriguing to me then it will take me longer. I feel like I won’t
have enough time to read them and then to catch up with the lecture slides in
class. I try to make my room cozy and have a relaxing environment, it doesn't
help at all. My attention switches back and forth to all of my senses. My
vision gets blurred while reading a page and I have to look away for a while. It’s
too much for me to handle all at once.

            All I can picture when I read for a class is 2 years ago in English 9 at my High School.
We were having a discussion about one of the books we were reading. One of the 23 students in
that class had not read the two chapters we were supposed to the night before.
The teacher told him to go outside of the room and sit in the library and read
the two chapters because he wouldn't know what we were talking about if he
stayed and listened. Then the teacher continued to talk about her
disappointment in that student even after he left the room. From then on my
stress levels while basically being forced to read have increased tremendously.
I panic, I am scared that I wont finish the assigned reading and that I will be
that person getting sent out of the classroom because of it.

When I get home my
parents want to spend time with me and hear about my day. I talk to them
briefly then go downstairs to do my homework. My mom always tells me not to
stress over doing a bit of reading, everyone has to do it and it will go by quickly.
I of course do not believe it.  So I go downstairs and light some candles,
close my blinds and put on some sweats and a t-shirt. 

I am lying in bed trying
to get cozy before starting to read. My heart is already racing. I look around
my bedroom and try to calm down by in taking my surroundings. On my bed and
floor there are textbooks and papers scattered about. A small pile of pickup
sticks made of pens and pencils waiting to be challenged. The walls are white
and bare, just like a fresh new layer of snow. My black curtains make the room
dim and dank. I see my bedside lamp illuminating my book that is propped
against my thighs. I see my phone lighting up, tempting me to check it. I
always get distracted while reading, sometimes I like the distraction because
it gives me an excuse to not read. But then when I don't have physical
distractions I start to focus on all the sounds catching my attention instead.

My ears sense a low
muffled vibration coming from my dad’s TV show upstairs in the living room. The
neighborhood dog barking at the wind. The echo from the cars on the highway
hitting the rumble strips. The heat clicking on, then off, on then off, the
same pattern over and over… and over. I then hear silence as time goes on, each
minute slowly passing by. I hear my steady breath, I focus on that for a
moment. I slowly seem to be calming down but still I know I have reading to be
done, and I still feel tense.

I feel like I am being
pushed to the limit, like I don't have enough time. I can’t focus on anything I
read. I keep having to re-read the same paragraph again and again because my
mind won’t retain the information. I feel like I have to keep taking breaks
even after reading for a couple of minutes because of the pressure. The
blankets are making me to warm, but my room is too cold. The baggy clothes I
have on feel like they are suffocating me. I cannot get comfortable enough to
read. I try to tell myself once more that it is just a few pages and if I can
convince my mind that it is interesting stuff in the book maybe I will be more
excited to read it. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. 

The aroma of spices with
some sweet accents fill my bedroom. That is the candle that I lit in hopes of
loosening my nerves. I smell fear because I do not want to be that person
getting sent out of class. I will not be that person. I can also smell the
pages of the new book I am holding. I am tasting apprehension, as if I will
never get this reading done. My mouth gets dry and so I drink some water. I can
taste the lingering aftertaste of coffee with French vanilla creamer. I drank
some coffee in hopes of awakening my senses and being able to focus on the
topic I am reading about.  

            All of my senses calm me
down and I can finally read. It always takes me a while to focus on the book
and start reading. All of this is out of fear of being behind in a class. This
whole process that I go through when reading specifically for a class is why I
don't like reading when I have to. Why do I have such a big problem with it?
What makes me so nervous about falling behind? Why do I feel like I have to go
to bed by 10, therefore making me finish the chapters before that time? All of
these questions I would love to know the answer to. But I think that this is
just a stage in my life. I won’t always be having to read for a class. I do
however love reading books that I pick out from the library. I know my
interests and so I can really get into whatever book I choose. But there is
just something about being forced to read for a History class or an English
class that really pushes my buttons.               I am a student who gets
all A’s. My lowest grade in my life thus far has been an A-. I have always done
well in school so when I feel like I won’t, I panic. It scares me to think that
I struggle so much with reading for a class but not with doing math or science
homework. I am a successful student who does great in all classes. Knowing the
thought that if I don’t finish a reading assignment it could potentially have a
consequence, whether if it if from the teacher or from myself personally. Once
I am done reading I feel a big weight being lifted off my shoulders, only to
come back the next day.

 

            1. What was
your main point (thesis)?  “The Moral of the Story”

 

          My main point
was why I don’t like reading for a class

 

2. Who was your audience?  What did you assume about
them?  What “audience needs” did you have to consider in writing the
paper?  How did you tailor your writing to them?

 

My audience is anyone
who feels the same way I do about reading for a class. I    had to
make it as realistic as I could so they understand how I feel.

 

3. What feedback or reactions did you get at various times while

composing this paper, and how was this helpful?  What other kinds of input

or support did you get from classmates, teacher, tutors, others?  Were you

able to make use of it?  How, or why not?

People thought I over
reacted about my situation but I really do hate it and I do get really bad
anxiety while being forced to read. But other than that my classmates were very
supportive of me. I took what advice they gave me but I did decline some of it
because it is my piece of writing, I can do and say what I want to.

 

4. What did you find interesting about the process you went
through

in writing this paper, and what did you learn from it?

 

What I found interesting
the most is that I really got to focus on how I feel while reading for a class.
I never knew exactly that I did all the things I did while trying

to focus on the book. At first I couldn’t think of a specific time that made me

hate reading for a class but then I remembered my freshman year in high school.

That isn’t the first experience that has made me realize I despise reading for

classes but it the one that stands out the most. 

 

5. What questions do you have for me about the paper?  (What

part(s) of the paper would you like me to focus on?  What do you see as

the paper’s strengths, and what areas are you unsure

I know that I didn’t
focus on why I hate reading for a class that much but I figured

that describing what happens to me is more personal and effective. I think my

descriptive parts of the paper are my strengths. I am unsure about the

introduction, just because I know that they don’t send people out of the room

in college. But right now I am taking that class and I still have a fear that I

will be sent out. Even though it is not necessary to read the material beforehand.

 

My notes that I am going to use for revising my blog are:

I will double space my essay
Fix some of my words by replacing them with other words similar to them.
I will be adding one more sentence to my conclusion.

 

Five Characteristic Features

In my first paper for English 101 class I am writing about why I don't like reading for a class.
1.A Clearly Identified Event: I don't have an exact moment in time that made me dislike reading for a class. Instead, I will give examples on what bothers me and why I don't like it.
2. A Cleary Described Setting: I will be describing the setting I am in when I have to read for a class, The main place though for the setting is my bedroom, but it is much more than just my bedroom.
3. Vivid, Descriptive Details: This part will be very interesting. Everyone who reads my paper will be hopefully feeling the way I feel when I am forced to read for a class. I will be explaining in detail every feeling. All of the stress, the anxiety, the distractions and more.
4. A Consistent Point of View: I will be telling the story from first person. Since this is about why I dislike reading for a class it has to be about me and my perspective.
5. A Clear Point: I think I will be making my point very clear. I will be expressing to the reader why I despise reading for a class. I don't think that it will be very hard to do considering I am very passionate about this.

Annotations

Melanie Luken's essay, Literacy: A Lineage, which is about her history of why she enjoys literature and her progression throughout life. She really grabs the reader when she starts the essay by talking about the one person who inspired her to enjoy literacy and all its things. After she mentions that that person was/is her father. Also at the beginning, she told the reader about a very personal tradition she has with her father, which adds emotion to the story, it makes it even more personal than it already is. This story is told chronologically starting with her childhood to now in the present. Melanie also mentions her brother and how he didn't grow up to be the same as her, even though their father hoped so. So all of Melanies childhood experiences from having to write stories for her father every christmas to sharing the love of literature with her father led up to her pursuing out that dream of becoming a writer. Even though Melanie Lukens got a major in French she still realizes that the comfort she gets from reading and writing in English will never be the same in a foreign language. Lukens has a special bond that she gets, a certain satisfaction she feels from literature and all that it includes.

In-Class Lab: Literacy Narrative

1)      “Lydia climbed off the kitchen counter and waded through the deep water, dragging a small kitchen stool behind her.” page 130, paragraph 2, Lydia’s Story

2)      “When we asked if she got hungry or thirst, she said that she didn’t remember feeling that way. Her tongue became dry and her lips were cracked, but she only was aware of being terrified.” Page 130, paragraph 3, Lydia’s Story

3)      “…we were struck by the chemical odor of a cleaning solution so strong that it seemed toxic.” Page 128, paragraph 2, Lydia’s Story

 

 

 

TOPICS:

Mom teaching me to read

Jan’s sharing circle in Language Arts

Being forced to read for a class

Why I don’t like writing research papers

Doing speeches

 

PURPOSE: I just want to express my thoughts on why I don’t like reading for specific classes. Plus, my other idea didn’t fit the assignments criteria.

AUDIENCE: I am imagining that some of the readers feel the same way I do about my topic. I will have to do brief explaining to get the point across but then I will also do some examples and why they have a bad effect on me.

STANCE: I don’t want to necessarily express an attitude that comes across as angry. But I do want to be stern and show exactly why I don’t like reading for a class and why.

MEDIA/DESIGN: I will write a multiple paragraph paper on my topic.

 

SETTING:  It takes place at my house with a textbook for a class that I am taking and having to read a few chapters for the next time class meets.

9. I see books, papers, pens and pencils. White walls, dim room, one light on which is my bedside lamp. I see my phone lighting up, tempting me to check it.

10. I hear the muffled tv from upstairs, then the silence as time goes on, heat clicking on and off, dogs barking, cars on the highway hitting the rumble strips.

11. I smell burning candles trying to warm up my room and make it a preferable reading environment, I smell the pages of the book, possibly old and worn, or even fresh new pages.

12. I feel stressed, like I don’t have enough time, I can’t focus on anything I read. I keep having to reread the same paragraph over and over because my mind won’t retain the information. I feel that I have to keep taking breaks even after reading for a couple of minutes because of the pressure. Blankets making me too warm. Clothes suffocating me. Not being able to get comfortable. My neck aching, my back aching. Once I am done though I feel a big weight being lifted off my shoulders, only to come back the next night.

13. I taste the anxiety, as if I won’t ever get the reading done. My mouth gets dry and I drink water. Maybe the after taste of coffee, in hopes of it awakening my senses and being able to focus on the topic I am reading about that day/night.

14. Teachers dressed in their teacher attire telling me the reading assignment for the night. Parents wanting me to come upstairs and hang out with them because I’ve been doing so much homework and I don’t have enough time to do both. me lying in bed in my pajamas before going to sleep knowing I have to read or else I’ll be behind.

15. When a teacher tells you that in three days you will have to read 4 chapters, which usually takes 1-1.5 hours per chapter.  Hearing the teacher get upset at the students who has forgotten to read last night’s chapter(s). My mom tells me that it’s not a big deal to worry that much about it, In reality is really is though.

“Okay class in the next three days you have 4 chapters that you will need to read”

“Well if you didn’t read last night’s chapters then you can go out of the room and read them now because you won’t know what we are talking about”

“Amy don’t stress over not getting your reading done, once you start it’ll go by so quickly”

16. It’s the end of psychology class one day and the professor tells us that we have four modules to read in the next three days. I get home and I am stressed out immediately. It takes me at least 1 hour to read one module. If it is an interesting module then I will have no time. If it isn’t so interesting then it takes me even longer to read. I get worrisome when I think about it. I feel like I don’t have enough time to read them and then to catch up with the lecture slides during class. I try to make my room a cozy and relaxing environment, it doesn’t help at all. My vision gets blurred and I somehow can’t read. It’s too much for me to handle all at once.

Response to Other Rhetoric Definitions

After reading some of my classmates definitions I was so shocked how many ways you can define rhetoric. Before I didn't really realize that I guess. After I posted my definition to my blog I felt good about it. But after reading a few other classmates definitions I kept thinking "oh I feel the same about that why didn't I write that in my definition as well". So I kept reading different definitions and I knew what they meant and if I would have thought hard and long about this definition I would have possibly written some of those aspects in mine. As I sat there I then realized that there are several ways to define rhetoric. Just as long as you have an unbiased mind going in or looking at a situation will suffice for a definition of rhetoric. One of my classmates brought up a current issue that the U.S. has been arguing about, I really enjoyed seeing something current and him bringing it to what we've been talking about in class. Maybe because I haven't considered all the current things that you could apply rhetorical thinking in. Ive been thinking mainly about genres of writing, speeches, movies. Just a lot of other things rather then whats going on right now in the news or in news papers.

My Personal Definition of Rhetoric

My definition of rhetoric is a way to think a certain way that allows a person to consider all possible sides of a situation. Whether it is an essay prompt or the presidential elections. Someone should be able to consider their personal opinion as well as what other people might think. It is a way to think unbiased and openly to every situation that comes up throughout life. You will need to contemplate everyones view on the situation in which rhetorical question has occurred. That will be the best way to get a more effective answer that all opposing sides could potentially agree with. If you were writing an essay one would want to consider the genre, tone, audience, purpose, stance, context, and the medium or design. From there you have to think about the way you want people to view you as, whether you see the situation as one sided (biased) or from all aspects (unbiased). Thinking and acting in a rhetoric manner is a way of life, we can communicate rhetorically and with that we see the world from all different perspectives. It opens our eyes to other opportunities and views that were literally standing in front of us, but we were too influenced by our own opinions that it blinded us from seeing everyone else's perspectives.

Rhetorical Situations- Narratives

Summary of Lydia’s story

You have to be able to focus through serious situations.

We all said the story was being told through third-person.

The descriptive words throughout the story paints good images in the readers mind.

To spread awareness to all sorts of citizens who might possibly face a tragedy similar to this one in the future.

 

Connections between Chapter 2 and Lydia’s Story

The narrative fits the description of a rhetorical situation. For example, the tone was very serious and formal. The audience is anyone who is interested in reading about the storms. The purpose of this story is to spread awareness. 

 

THINK ABOUT

We all narrated how stories are conveyed through songs

Some of us also mentioned some personal communication/socialization.

Also, some textbook reading involving stories as an example in order to help us learn.

We watched TV shows/ movies with interesting and amusing narratives to become inspired and be introduced to a new world.

Emily talked about ads and commercials and how they influence us to buy their product.

 

THINK BEYOND WORDS

We think that both can be very powerful in their own ways. Written stories can be more powerful by being more descriptive. In videos you can sense emotion and see how the individual feels about the subject.

COMPARE NARRATIVES

Music and magazines.

Both forms of mediums can force people to think about certain situations.

Stories can be told through music that can affect people on emotional levels more than the average magazine.

In magazines, stories can be told with more literary sense, unlike songs, which have more metaphors, similes and rhythm.