Blog #9

FINAL BLOG

1. In 300 words, write a draft of your literacy narrative.

Star Wars. If these two words were said in the 1970s and in present day, the reactions would be completely different. Forty years ago, people would be jumping with excitement over the new blockbuster hit movie that was created by George Lucas in 1977. The fanboys and girls would know all about Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Wookies, Ewoks, and would be able to quote famous dialogue lines from the movie(s). They would know that Darth Vader ended up being Luke’s father and that Princess Leia was his twin sister. However, in 2010, if I were to ask someone about Star Wars their response would be, “Huh? What’s that?” If I told them that I bought a new lightsaber, they would most likely reply, “Oh yeah, I bought some lifesavers too!” Obviously there was a barrier between our contact zones. (Villanueva).

How do I know about this cultural phenomenon that happened way before I was born? As an avid Star Wars fan, my father introduced my brother and I to “a galaxy far, far away” at a very young age. He exposed us to all three of the original films and ingrained knowledge about them into our brains. In 1999, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace went to theaters, which was the first movie of the prequels that were being developed. My father allowed my brother and I to take off of school in order to see the movie and in that same year, my brother and I dressed up as Star Wars characters for Halloween. We also own various actions figures, many video games, and about eight toy lightsabers.

The movie series definitely had a great impact on our lives. For example, when I hear the term “bounty hunter” my mind automatically goes to Bobo Fett. I believe that my dad caused me to have more literacy in this subject area than most people my age. Because of his actions, I was able to experience something that is lost in my generation. I find it mind-boggling that people do not know about this movie franchise and do not even have the will to know and learn about it. This knowledge I have about Star Wars makes me more literate because it is “the ability to understand, use and create tools of expression in a system of communication…and can be applied to a variety of discourse communities.” (Class).

2. Question – Class Readings

The text in an advertisement can be seen as all of the following except

a. Amplification through complication

b. Immediate Verbal Context

c. Ethos

d. Metacommentary

3. Final McCloud Reading Question

1. Navigating through a series of panels embedded in each previous panel will give a sense of:

a. enhancing virtual reality

b. diving deeper into a story

c. thinking outside the box

d. none of the above.

Works Cited:

1. “Definition of Literacy.” Class Notes. April 15, 2010.

2. Villanueva, Victor. Bootstraps: From an American Academic of Color. Urbana, IL: NCTE. 34-50.

Blog #8

Blog #8

1. What sorts of literacies is Villanueva part of?

- Being a part of a literacy is being a part of a discourse community. According to our class notes from April 6^th, a discourse community consists of members who share a language, values generic conventions and a set expectation for the requirements for an effective text. Villanueva’s most prominent literacy is being involved in the Puerto Rican community because of his heritage. Everyone in this community has a certain lifestyle and way of speaking. For example, while living in California he would have trouble conversing with Mexicans even though they both spoke Spanish. If he said salsa, referring to the music, the Mexican would think he was talking about hot sauce (41). This shows how there was a communication barrier with someone not in his own discourse community. Also, people within these communities share similar views about those in other communities. “And the white kids speak a different language, listen to a music that sounds foreign to his ears—the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean: surfin’ safaris and deuce coupes and sloops John D, meaningless.” (35). This excerpt from Villanueva’s work shows the Puerto Rican view of white music and how singers perform songs based on meaningless things.

2. What sorts of literacies do you have?

- Because I have many interests and live in Staten Island, I am a part of various discourse communities. Members within the Staten Island community can understand and communicate easily with each other, while those who are outside of the group might find it hard to comprehend. For example, in Staten Island when someone says, “I’m going to the city” we all know he/she is talking about going to Manhattan. However, someone outside this community would not know what “the city” refers to. I am also part of the Glee discourse community. As an avid “Gleek”, (glee + geek) I know the songs the cast sings, the dances they perform and some of the dialogue they speak. In addition, I follow the cast on Twitter, which is a discourse community itself, and read spoiler information about upcoming episodes. Because of this knowledge I have about the show, it makes me a “Gleek” and a part of its community. A final subject where I am literate is in the area of dance. As a dancer for fifteen years I know about rhythm, timing, and the technical terms of various dance moves. Having studied tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical, and pointe, I have a wide range of knowledge about some of the styles of dance and have performed these styles in competitions.

Work Cited:

Villanueva, Victor. Bootstraps: From an American Academic of Color. Urbana, IL: NCTE. 34-50.

Blog #7

Blog #7

1. Read through your peer reviews for the Toulmin Analysis. Select one comment you think will help you.

- In a comment on my Toulmin Analysis, Elizabeth said, “You could also add that the individual personality is being expressed. "I live"” while I discussed the image aspect of the advertisement. I felt that this comment was very helpful because I forgot to incorporate the Jeep slogan into the analysis and this idea would definitely support the claim I tried to prove in my paper.

2. What is the most important term you feel you have learned in class so far?

- The most important term I feel I have learned in class so far would be Birdsell and Groarke’s visual culture. The way images or a series of images are presented to the audience effects the way we perceive it, analyze it and understand it. Visual culture depends on new technologies, art forms and sciences in order to create and present images in fresh ways and influences the making of visual meaning indirectly. I feel this is most important because as new modes of communication are being developed, advertisements have to adhere to the changes in order to keep up with the times. For example, when color film was first developed and an audience was shown two advertisements, one in color and one in black and white, they would find the colored one more appealing and pay more attention to it.

3. Re-read your Adnalysis and find a type of proof you have used in your essay. Describe the proof and show an example.

- In my Adnalysis about the Motorola Droid there is a proof that establishes ethos, which “appeals to the audience’s impressions, opinions, and judgments about the individual stating the argument.” Throughout my analysis, there is a mention of the trust that the consumer has with Verizon Wireless and with Google. In my paper I wrote, “The iPhone does not use Google for their navigation system; therefore Verizon wants the audience to know that they’re using an item by a brand they can trust…Verizon and Google are two major companies that are well known by the public. By combining these two powerhouses, these companies are able to magnify the trust and credibility that people associate with them. Because of this trust, customers will buy the product.” The advertisement of the Droid with Google directly plays into the audience’s trust of a combined product of Verizon Wireless, Motorola and Google.

Works Cited

Birdsell, David S; Groarke, Leo. Toward a Theory of Visual Argument. ( Argumentation and Advocacy. 33.1 (1996). Research Library)

Wood, Nancy V. Essentials of Argument, 2nd Ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. 2009.

Blog #6

1. Read through your peer reviews for the Adnalysis. Select one comment you think will help you. Paste the comment and explain why it is a good comment for your paper.

- “It is rather unclear to what your thesis may be, however it is clear that you are providing an argument that this advertisement successfully demonstrates that the product is useful for every day life, such as driving.” This comment is extremely helpful because it states two things about my paper. The first is that I need to work on making my thesis statement clearer. The second is that my paper explains why this advertisement is successful, which means I used good examples and the reader easily understood my argument. From this comment, I learned that I just needed to make my thesis statement reflect what was written in my paper.

2. Define warrants. Why do arguments work better when warrants are shared by the arguer and the audience?

- According to Essentials of Argument, “Warrants are the assumptions, general principles, conventions of specific disciplines, widely held values, commonly accepted beliefs and appeals to human motives that are an important part of any argument.” Warrants are based on a person’s background and perspective, and therefore causes them to be expressed in various ways. Warrants present an argument with critical links and are culture-bound. This means that warrants associated with various cultures will be different from one another due to dissimilar values, beliefs and ways of life. Since warrants start with the arguer, they can either be shared or contradicted by the audience. When the warrants are shared, arguments are more convincing because the audience will accept them. Also, shared warrants are extremely important because they can provide a common ground between the arguer and the audience.

Works Cited:

Wood, Nancy V. Essentials of Argument, 2nd Ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. 2009.

Blog #5

Blog #5

1. What is the rhetorical situation the author is responding to in The Controversy behind Barbie?

- In The Controversy behind Barbie, the author is commenting on the perspectives of those who are pro-Barbie, anti-Barbie, and Barbie moderates. In this paper, the author talks about three different views that people have about Barbie products. Because of the many baby dolls that were on the market, those who are pro-Barbie believe that the doll provided “a challenge to the ideology that the proper role for women was that of a mother.” They also say that playing with Barbie dolls is fun, brings out imaginative ideas in children and is an essential part of growing up. It also proclaims the idea that women can be and do anything they want. For example, “Barbie was an astronaut before the first American woman went into space.” On the other hand, there were those who strongly believed that Barbie was a negative role model to young girls. They felt that the doll’s image was one that was unattainable due to disproportional body parts. This tall and slim doll would give young girls the impression that need to be beautiful and thin in order to get anywhere in life – which is most certainly untrue.

2. What is the author’s perspective on this situation and what if any templates is she using from TSIS to construct her argument?

- The author of this paper agrees with the Barbie moderates. The Barbie moderates believe that the doll is not the portrayal of the “ideal American woman”, but is not necessarily the epitome of evil. Barbie has some positive aspects including “her many professions, her ability to foster imaginative play, and her message that girls can choose to be whomever they want.” On the other hand, Barbie asserts that the external appearance and materialistic items are important, while being unnaturally blonde. The author was disgusted with her childhood self and could not believe she once saw her as a role model. The author states that she believes that Barbie is used as a scapegoat for the major issue dealing with the American culture’s fascination with beauty. In order to construct her argument, the author shows all sides of the spectrum, not just the one that agrees with her own beliefs. By showing the beliefs of those who oppose her own, the author demonstrates the ability to look at an issue from all sides before formulating her own opinion.

Works Cited:

Graff, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein, Gerald Graff, and Cathy Birkenstein. "They say/I say". W W Norton & Co Inc, 2006.

Wood, Nancy V. Essentials of Argument, 2nd Ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. 2009.

Blog #4

Blog #4

What is Birdsell and Groarke’s purpose? Are there any terms you think could be added to immediate verbal context, immediate visual context, and visual culture?

In Toward a Theory of Visual Argument, Birdsell and Groarke’s purpose is to inform the reader about prejudices dealing with the falsehoods of visual arguments. One such prejudice “encourages the view that visual images are less precise than words, especially the written word.” (1-2). Birdsell and Groarke believe that this theory is false and that visual and verbal aspects of the argument have to be taken into account. Birdsell and Groarke felt that the visual and verbal arguments are poignant for conveying the correct message to the audience. They are adamantly opposed to those who feel that “…the visual is radically indeterminate and cannot, therefore, sustain an argument.” (3).

According to Toward a Theory of Visual Argument, there are three kinds of context that are important when evaluating a visual argument and they are immediate verbal context, immediate visual context, and visual culture. Immediate visual context is very significant when dealing with a film because “…it incorporates a progression of images which allows us to recognize a single frame as part of an overarching argument.” (6). These visual context clues allow the viewer to figure out what is happening in a story without being told. By looking at the environment in which a scene takes place and the way the character is presented, one could make many accurate assumptions about events that occur in the film. Immediate verbal context goes hand-in-hand with visuals to amplify and make an argument more specific. An example of this is an advertisement that deals with smoking’s harmfulness. The ad states “that we are dealing with something which is addictive and harmful while the visual images establishes that the topic is smoking.” (6). Visual culture is different from the other two forms of context because it influences the making of visual meaning indirectly. Visual culture is not one specific thing because it depends on new inventions, technologies, art forms and sciences in order to mold a certain way. One word that could be associated with immediate verbal context, immediate visual context, and visual culture is “context clues.” Even though we learned when we were younger that we should use surrounding details in order to answer a question, the same method applies to visual arguments. It interblends with immediate visual and verbal contexts.

Work Cited:

Birdsell, David S; Groarke, Leo. Toward a Theory of Visual Argument. ( Argumentation and Advocacy. 33.1 (1996). Research Library)

Blog #3

Blog #3

1. What is the most important feature of visual argument you learned from EOA? Why?

- According to Essentials of Argument there are eight special features that explain why visual argument is convincing. These features include evoking an emotional response, establishing common ground, employing symbols, and allowing the viewer to interpret the argument in their own way (239-244). I believe that the most important feature of visual argument deals with producing emotions from those who the argument is directed towards. For example, a written article about the events that occurred on September 11, 2001 would lead to a different emotional response than a picture of the crumbling towers would. Because of the visual aid, the viewer could actually see what happened and be drawn into the disastrous environment. Photos also portray emotions that are sometimes hard to put into words. I was watching TV and a commercial for starving children in Africa was shown and I couldn’t help but be saddened for all of those small children without food. Augmenters choose to show these images because the eyes have a way of expressing emotions that no form of writing could possess.

2. What is the most important feature of visual image you learned from McCloud? Why?

- When I first looked at the “narrator” of McCloud’s comic, my mind automatically associated the figure with Harry Potter. The boy has messy black hair, glasses, and a lightning bolt on his shirt, which are all attributes of the famous wizard. Ironically, this was one of the arguments that were mentioned in the comic. The comic discussed recognizing vivid details of a person’s face after interacting with them and creating an image of them in your mind. My complex brain allowed me to associate the two figures with one another, even though they don’t have any relation at all. This idea also deals with the simple figure of a face. Without excess traits, every person has the same face – two eyes, a nose and a mouth. It was interesting to see how people find a face in objects, such as outlets and cars, that don’t have anything remotely close to the image at all.

Works Cited:

Handa, Carolyn. Visual Rhetoric in a Digital World. (Excerpt: McCloud, Scott. The Vocabulary of Comics.)

Wood, Nancy V. Essentials of Argument, 2nd Ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. 2009.