Semester 2: Blog III- Learning Outcome

            Mass media as a whole has become extremely diligent on addressing world issues and reaching out to the public for help. Their use of persuasive tactics, such as powerful images, especially those of children, and strong diction, really helps address the point being made. In the past year, there has been this obsession with reaching out to others and donating to such organizations like Kony 2012, Unicef, ASPCA, and so many more organizations. Not all are directed towards the human race, like ASPCA is meant to help save abused and neglected animals in need of a home. There are commercials, advertisements, posters, websites, clothing lines, in support of these causes, and the purpose is to inform and persuade.

            The hype of March was all focused on Kony 2012, where Jason Russell had created a 30 minute video talking about a leader of a child army in Africa, Joseph Kony. Russell used images of the destruction and pure terror of these innocent children, who have been snatched from their homes and forced to join Kony’s army. An audience will be more drawn into a film such as this if there are images of children being harmed, because to most people a child being forced to do such horrible things against their own will and at such a young age, would more likely persuade someone to donate or help in one way or another, than would an image of an adult doing the same tasks. The use of children in advertisements is the key to reaching an emotional level with the audience. They become vulnerable to the topic and are almost suckered in to giving a donation of either money or supplies.

            Another tactic seen in class was the use of strong diction. A play on words seems to intrigue people, because at first glance you see the blatant message, but a second look with analysis opens a whole other meaning, the true meaning. Puns are often used in successful advertising, such as the image used for blog 1, where there was a play on words with taking a hand for marriage. This tactic may seem small, but it withholds great power. Audiences are automatically pulled in when there are powerful hidden messages, because they acknowledge the cleverness and deep thoughts put behind this advertisement. It also shows that actual thought was put into making the advertisement, and that they are really trying to reach out for a good cause.

            This semester has really opened our eyes to the vast amount of the media and how they use language and image to inform, persuade and entertain the audiences. We looked at Banksy images where words were not present, but his paintings/wall murals were so powerful words were not even needed. Public Service Announcements use both images and words to attract their audiences, like the image we looked at where there was a black girl holding a water gun up to her head, but the message behind the image was revealed in the text, where the message was about how kids in Africa are dehydrated because of the unclean water. These advertisements are carefully placed in areas where they know their audience being addressed will be most likely to reach out and help, like an advertisement on feeding the hungry would not be placed in the slums, but in a higher class, wealthier area. Mass media deliberately uses these tactics, because they know how powerful their advertisements can be.  

Semester 2: Blog II- Machine Stops Claim

     In the article, Our Media, Ourselves; “Are We headed For A Matrix?” written by Bob Mondello, states that, "Once you've felt the comfort of society, you worry about losing it. So to remind yourself of how you're connected, you gather things around. And you cling to them, not so you won't lose them, or lose what makes you you, but so you won't lose the connections they represent. The fear is of emptiness -- but of emptiness inside us, not of empty rooms." This claim can be proven to be true, because society really does fear the loss of connections. Society as a whole is so focused around the use of technology to remain connected, and relies heavily on instant messaging and Face Time, that they almost forget how to communicate in the "old-fashioned" way. There is this desire to be connected, not by personal means, but by the sake of the internet. There are sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and so on, websites that allow people from all over the world to keep connected. What happened to the good 'ol days, where kids would rock out to their CD's, even better, their cassette tapes?! Those were truly better days, when technology was not around to corrupt our virgin minds. It is almost as if society was able to get along better as a whole when we weren't stunted by technology. When people had to actually analyze and think about situations instead of turning to the online Bible, Google.
     Humans’ growth in personal connections is stunted by the lack of face-to-face interactions. Like in E.M. Forster's story, The Machine Stops, Kuno says to his mother Vashti, 'I want to see you not through the Machine,' said Kuno. ‘I have called you before, mother, but you were always busy or isolated. I have something particular to say.’ ‘What is it, dearest boy? Be quick. Why could you not send it by pneumatic post?’ This is just an example of how distant people really are from one another. Really think about it for a second because when was the last time someone wrote you a letter and sent it in the mail? It probably wasn't very recent, and that is because of society's reliance on technology. Why write someone a letter when one can send one via e-mail? Well, a hand written letter comes off as more personal, and that is where someone goes wrong, because there has become a loss of the sense of personality. It is found to be more convenient to take the easy route and electronically send a message rather than through the postal services.  The technology of today has taken our identity as humans and has absorbed us into a world of computer savvy freaks! Both these articles are focused on how corrupt society is or will be due to our obsession with having to know everything the moment it happens. Life is lived in a world where there is no privacy, because private lives are blogged about or posted on websites for the world to see. The world knows every ones every move of every day.
     There is just an overall lack of personality in this world, and it has been caused by our over corrupt vision of how life is. Society is so focused on making sure that life is easy and perfect, but the reality is that life is just getting worse for generations to come. No one will know how to function on their own without the help of some form of technology. It has already started with this generation, because every day kids are running to Google to search for their homework answers. Save the children, and try to stay old school. Get off that website, pull out those cassette tapes, watch the good classics, and relax.

Semester 2: Blog 1- Image Analysis

     This image is of a black woman’s hand with a huge diamond ring on her ring finger, but there is no arm attached, because her hand was cut off at the wrist. The cut is not a clean cut, but one sloppily done by the blade of a monster. Diamonds are seen as a sign of wealth, especially in marriage, the more diamonds on a ring, the better; or so people think, but only because no one knows the roots of these diamonds. The text says, “For every hand taken in marriage, another hand is taken away. To secure that their enslaved workers wouldn’t steal them, conflict diamond Guerillas would cut off one of their hands. Beauty isn’t worth death.” This image is geared towards diamond consumers, because no one is told where these diamonds came from, and who the people were who got the diamonds. Most people don’t know that children are forced into these so called jobs in Africa, where a diamond Guerilla is the boss of this business, and they force children to search for diamonds because they are small enough to fit into the small spaces where the diamonds lie. Diamond consumers are wearing these diamonds, not knowing the consequences these children had to suffer. Their hand is cut off with the blade of the diamond Guerilla to ensure that diamonds are not stolen while they are searching for them because if one of the children gets a diamond, they could be free from this slavery. The first text, “For every hand taken in marriage, another hand is taken away” is italicized, to signify elegance and beauty, like a diamond. Italicized words are associated with the text found a wedding invitation, it looks beautiful and elegant, but with this text, the meanings behind these elegant strokes are ones of pure evil, loss of innocence, and hopelessness. The text is also ironic, because when one gets married, it is said that their hand is being taken fro marriage, but the meaning behind it is that although their hand is being taken by the one they love, a child’s hand is being taken for the happiness of this newly wed couple. This PSA is meant to reach out to the uneducated civilians on this horrific and saddening war. The bloody, severed hand, with the diamond ring is an extremely powerful tactic, where it causes the audience to connect on a personal level, because this PSA is assuming that their audience either owns diamonds, or knows of someone who does, and they are here to educate. It says how beauty is not worth death, because by purchasing diamonds, that is supporting these diamond Guerillas. Buying diamonds gets them money, and as long as people keep buying, children will continue dying. This PSA is meant to encourage people to stop buying diamonds, because although they are beautiful, a child is dying over in Africa for you. The hand is that of a black woman, where the hand looks aged and by the color of the finger nails, it appears that this could be the hand of someone who works with dirt. This is a direct relation to the severed hands of the child slaves in Africa, but on the hand is that diamond ring, from the diamonds they had to scavenge for, and lose their hand for. In the bottom corner is a small black image of Africa, where an upside down red triangle sits in the bulge of Africa. This could resemble the location of where this blood diamond, guerilla warfare is taking place. The colors are all so dark, because dark colors are associated with death and terror, but the red of the blood is eye piercing, so vibrant, as if the hand was just freshly severed from the arm of an innocent child. And the diamond ring stands out, with its glistening colors, because diamonds have the connotation of beauty, but from knowledge and words of this PSA, the audience will no longer see beauty, but ugliness, because the roots of these diamonds are truly ugly.

Blog #3 (Writing Strength)

     "It’s a cold winter’s morning. The fresh scent of pine wisps through the vents of the house. You are lying in bed dreading what is to come next, stepping on the bitter cold hardwood flooring. With each step you take, you swear up and down that you will get frost bite. You sprint across the room, hopping on the small Christmas rug neatly placed in front of the closet door to snatch a pair of slippers to save your poor feet. You smell the scent of pine and then it hits you like a brick, IT'S CHRISTMAS! Suddenly, you become a little kid again. You are all excited for the presents, even though Christmas is about the Lord Baby Jesus. You go to walk out of your door, trying to be quiet but it is a tad hard when your hardwood floors creak with each step, but when you're a ninja like me, you can manuver through these halls like a pro, but when you go to open your door, you discover your little twerp of a brother is sitting there like a lost puppy just waiting. We wake our parents and enter a the living room, so lively with the bright lights of our Christmas tree, shimmering in all directions. Eric dives into the first present of his and the crinkle of the wrapping paper brings back so many memories from my childhood. It is almost as if I am dead in the body of another person, living my life again. I kinda feel like that bunny kid from "A Christmas Story", Ralphy. I don't know why, but all this excitement is like him waiting for his Red Ryder BB Gun!!"

     The above paragraph is a demonstration of my english skills which have been aquired throughout the year, thanks to Ms. Owen. I have decided that I have strength in the use of metaphors and sensory details. I speak of the cold and really describe how cold it is. I also mention the scent of the house, which is pine, but I never tell that the pine is the Christmas tree, because it allows the imagination of the reader to discover that. I compared the cold hardwood flooring to having frost bite and that excentuates my point of how cold the floor actually is. My audience is impacted by this because I am really making them visualize what I am doing and how it is affecting the mood. I am really trying to grasp the Christmas spirit and that is why I mention a very famous and well known Christmas classic. I want my reader to be there with me, experiencing my excitemt to open these Christmas gifts. Who cares if I am a 17 year old kid, I can still act like I am a little girl again in order to have fun and bring back memories.

Blog #2 Learning Outcome #3 (The Book Thief)

The Book Thief     Written By: Markus Zusak
     It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . .
     Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
     This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.
(http://www.amazon.com/Book-Thief-Markus-Zusak/dp/0375831002)

     "In the beginning, it was the profanity that made an immediate impact. It was so vehement and prolific. Every other word was either Saumensch or Saukerl or Arscholch." The words in italics are German words in which contain a meaning that is vulgar. They are slang terms which we do not hear often if at all here in America. This just shows the difference in the way our cultures are built. Rosa has no issue with saying these words on a daily basis, sometimes all in a row. The use of profane words by a woman in a book really comes to show who her character is. It shows that she is a strong-willed person who won't let anything get in her way. “She leaned down and looked at his lifeless face and Liesel kissed her best friend, Rudy Steiner, soft and true on his lips. He tasted dusty and sweet. He tasted like the regret in the shadows of trees and in the glow of the anarchist’s suit collection.  She kissed him long and soft, and when she pulled herself away, she touched his mouth with her fingers. Her hands were trembling, her lips were fleshy, and she leaned in once more, this time losing control and misjudging it. Their teeth collided on the demolished world of Himmel Street.” This quote demonstrates the respect that these children show for one another. Liesel was in made love with Rudy, as he was with her, but she never really wanted him to know this. Her only chance, well actually she passed up many but this was her last chance to kiss him was now. Although he had been killed and died she was going to get her kiss in. I don't really know if this is a cultural thing, but more of a respect that I think all of us could share if we were put in this situation.

Blog #1 Learning Outcome #1 (The Nacirema)

     "Body Ritual among the Nacirema" by Horace Miner is a piece of writing that is directed towards mankind, because we as humans are known to make quick judgments on things that appear as strange or different from our customs. Horace Miner wrote this piece about the tribe, the Nacirema, "a North American group living in the territory between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles." This makes you as a reader question who these people are and why have they never been heard of before.
     “Nacirema culture is characterized by a highly developed market economy which has evolved in a rich natural habitat. Special women’s rights are performed only during each lunar month, but what they lack in frequency is made up in barbarity. As a part of this ceremony, women bake their heads in small ovens for about an hour.” We stop and think, ‘Who would put their head in an oven?! These people are weirdoes.’ Too bad these “weirdoes” are actually us. This piece is specifically written to make our every day lives sound like an odd, uncivilized tribe, because the purpose is to prove how quickly we judge. Something that is weird to us may be completely normal to someone else. Who is to claim what is normal?
     “At other times they insert magic wands in the supplicant’s mouth or force him to eat substances which are supposed to be healing. From time to time the medicine men come to their clients and jab magically treated needles into their flesh. The fact that these temple ceremonies many not cure, and may even kill the neophyte in no way decreases the people’s faith in the medicine men.” This quote makes it seem as though this “tribe” lacks modern technology and these people focus on physical pain as a ritual. With such strange beliefs, we question how they have managed to live on and continue their lives as if what they do is normal.
     This just shows that humans are so closed-minded and ignorant, because this entire piece is written about us, not some savages, but us. The author wrote this piece to appear as strange or odd in order to prove that we are these savages. The only difference is the choice of words in which he uses. If you look back at the writing, the Nacirema is American backwards, along with Notgnihsaw (Washington), and these medicine men are doctors. How something is written and the diction used, really affects how the audience perceives the story. Next time you hear of a strange tribe or culture, think of how silly you felt once you found out the Nacirema was you. Don’t judge others just because they are a little different.