Reflective Post

Reflective Post

Farewell Blog

My time in Rhetorical Criticism 335W has been time very well spent. While in this class I have learned lots about Rhetorical Criticism and even a bit about myself. Here is a short recap of my experience:

1) What information did you find useful in this class?

• I found all of the methods that we learned this semester very useful because they really gave me insight to what a rhetor's purpose may be. Whether the artifact be a piece of art, a movie, or a building, the creator has a very distinct message or goal behind that work and the information about different methods of criticism helped me realize these messages and even it even made me more conscious of the messages that I evoke on a daily basis.

2) What was your favorite part of this class?

• The part of this class that I liked the most was the open class discussions. The discussions made it easier for me to understand the material in layman's terms verses the way the book worded it. It also gave me perspective on how other people thought and allowed me to get to know every in a sense.

3) What do you think was the most challenging aspect of this class?

• I would say that the most challenging aspect of this class were the papers. They truly were not too difficult with all of the aid that Prof. G provided but it was sometimes confusing to figure out a research question and apply the method correctly.

4) How might you incorporate the knowledge and experiences gained from this class into your life beyond this classroom?

• Like I previously stated the knowledge that this class has given me will help me evaluate the purpose of someone's message.

5) Think of a question or issue that is most pressing to you right now. How would you use your knowledge of rhetoric and/or rhetorical criticism to gain perspective on this question or issue?

• I've always admired and feared how much of an impact the media has on its audience. Rhetorical criticism has helped me become more aware of these influences and the methods they use to depict such messages. I personally do not think all of these messages are bad but they do all have a major influence. For example, many ads pressure a certain "look" or "style" upon a person. This pressure may not always be bad. It can send the message of expressing yourself through your style or encourage the audience to become healthier in their diet choices but there are also images that could possibly make someone feel less than beautiful or make them feel like they have to look a certain way. These message can be subtle or very obvious. Regardless of the motive, I now have a better understanding of these different approaches! Also, since I would like to become a part of the entertainment industry, this class has been very instrumental in my decision to try to always portray the message of individualism using the different methods in everything I do.

Well, I guess this is goodbye Rhetorical Criticism.

Until next time, thank you...I do appreciate it!

Signing off,

Shaunice :)

I Used to Love H.E.R.

Metaphor Criticism

"I Used to Love H.E.R."

Common Sense

The popular song "I Used to Love H.E.R."by rapper Common Sense first debuted in 1994. It made major waves in the hip-hop community as a revolutionary song that placed a everlasting stamp on the history of hip-hop and redefined the word "metaphor" in rap. In this song, Common paints a beautiful portrait of words that describes the love of his life. The song shows her progressing from a girl to a woman. Common illustrates all of the obstacles that she has faced and how she has changed based on these circumstances. Although it seems as if he is talking about this woman that he loves throughout the entire song, at the end he reveals that he is indeed talking about the love of his life but that love is hip-hop. Once this is revealed the audience can further understand the metaphors used throughout the song that are describing the evolution of hip-hop and the changes it has made over the years.

I would like to use this artifact for my Essay #2 and analyze it using the metaphor method of criticism. I want to use this method because of the many metaphors in this song that builds up to the ultimate metaphor that is not revealed until the last line of the song. I feel that this will be a very effective way to analyze this song.

Can You Hear Me Now? Good!

Fantasy-Theme Criticism

Can You Hear Me Now? Good!

Verizon Commercials

For this method of criticism I chose to analyze the series of commercials by Verizon Wireless. The commercials that I would like to analyze are the ones that feature "the network". This enormous group of people that always seem to be following the main characters of the commercials around are the network. This network represents Verizon's constant wireless coverage no matter where you may be in the world. They also represent reliability. Verizon is known to be one of the powerhouses of wireless communication. This series of commercials highlights their best features! The commercials begin by hooking you in with a funny opening scene in which the Verizon customer is faced with a situation that may result in no cell phone coverage. In the midst of this ordeal, the network appears and reminds them that with Verizon, they well always be covered, no matter what the situation may be!

Now we know, that Verizon customers do not have a huge group of people following them around to provide coverage but the message that Verizon is trying to give off is very clear and effective. By providing viewers with something to laugh at these commercials hook the audience in and continues to captivate them with there impressive features and coverage.

Setting

• Literally anywhere in the world because Verizon's coverage is worldwide.
  

Characters

• The Verizon Network.
• Verizon Customers.
• On occasion, envious customers from other wireless networks.

Action Themes

• The network showing up everywhere regardless of the circumstance.

Pride

Pride

An Ideological Analysis

The movie I decided to see during this year's ON Film Festival was the Pride on Thursday, March 25th, 2010. Based on true events, Pride chronicles the trials and triumphs of an all-black swim team in a white dominated sport. One of the main characters, Jim Ellis, was once a college level swimmer but upon his graduation he finds it tough to find work. He decides to accept a temporary job cleaning the Marcus Foster Recreation Center that will soon be shut down. During this time he meets a group of inter-city kids and over-time he molds them to a very successful swim team.

Immediately upon viewing this film, I realized that this would be a great artifact for ideological analysis. Ideological criticism is the analysis of "evaluative beliefs-the beliefs about which there are possible alternative judgments" The aspects I would like to analyze ideologically from this film are the issues of race, economic class, and sexism. Everyone has different beliefs about these three situations. These issues truly leave a lasting impression on the audience and have a great deal to do with the impact of this film.

First, is the issue of race which is definitely the focal point of this film. From the very first scene where Jim is ejected from his college swim meet because of his race to the last scene when the team wins the championship, the matter of race is always present. In that time blacks (and other minorities) were treated almost like animals. This racial tension sparked much frustration in the community. Many people resisted the change of integration and promoted hate as a form of non-conformity. In the white dominated sport of swimming, things were especially challenging for the swimmers on Ellis’ swim team. This blatant hate was only one barrier this team had to overcome.

Another topic in this film was the economic class of the various characters. Nearly everyone on Ellis’ swim team was a part of the low class in inter-city Philadelphia, even Jim Ellis himself who lived in a spare room at the recreation center in which he worked. Many believe that people who are not raised with a silver spoon in their mouths will never amount to anything but the members of swim team in Pride proved this notion to be false. When they defeat all of their competition and win the championship meet, they prove that despite one’s background and economic situation, they were capable of achieve any dream. This message had a profound impact on me as I sat in the audience. This aspect of the movie inspires viewers to chase after their dreams.

Finally, is the subtle aspect of sexism in athletics. The character, Willie was the only female on the swim team and her position did not come easy. When first spotted by her future teammates, they automatically doubted her ability. She soon proved them wrong when she dived into the pool and showed her skills. She later proved to be one of the best swimmers on the team. Although she was eventually appreciated, the team’s initial doubt of her demonstrates their mindset towards women. It is easy to imply that they view women as inferior to men in the sports. As a woman, this subject appealed to me because women are often underestimated in any competitive field. Willie’s success on the swim team is a testament that women can do anything that men can and that no one should ever be judged on their gender but instead their skill.

Pink and Say

Pink and Say

by: Patricia Polacco

A Pentadic Analysis

As a child, I was given many books that emphasized the importance of culture and highlighted the vitality of friendship and kindness. During my childhood, one of my favorite books was Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco. This beautiful story logged the brief friendship of a black boy named Pinkus Aylee (Pink) and a white boy named Sheldon Curtis (Say). These two 15 year olds were soldiers in the Civil War from two very different backgrounds. Pink, a slave, literally fought for his freedom and Say, was a young man who was wounded while escaping from his unit during battle. Pink found Say shot and left for dead. He took Say to his house in Georgia and he and his mother, Moe Moe Bay nursed him back to health. Say was fortunate enough in his lifetime to have shaken the hand of then-President Abraham Lincoln. He one day took the hands of Pink and Moe Moe Bay and shook them. He did this to give them the opportunity to shake the hand of a man who shook Abraham Lincoln's hand. This was a very genuine and passionate moment in the book that gave both Pink and Moe Moe Bay hope for a better future. Soon after, upon the murder of Moe Moe Bay by marauders, both Pink and Say headed back to war. During this time they were both sent to a Confederate prison and are separated. As they were pulled away from each other, they grabbed for each other's hands and shared one last moment. Say went on to lead a beautiful life and raise a family. It is said that soon after their separation, Pink was hanged by the Confederate troops. This story "serves as a written memory" of him. In my opinion, this story is the perfect artifact for a pentadic analysis.

The Pentad

• The purpose of this story is to show that race is meaningless when it comes to true friendship and to commemorate the life of Pinkus Aylee.
• The act used to overcome the racial barriers was the forging of Pink and Say's friendship and Patricia Polacco telling this story commemorates Pink's life.
• The agents are Pinkus Aylee (Pink) and Sheldon Curtis (Say).
• The agencies are love, kindness, and the willingness to put race aside.
• Finally, the scenes include Civil War era, Georgia, and Pink and Moe Moe Bay's house.

RENT: No Day but Today

Criticizing the Ideologies

Ideological criticism is the type of criticism that focuses on the beliefs or ideologies of a particular artifact. Currently, this is the form of criticism that we have been studying in my rhetorical criticism class. For our assignment, we first had to choose 3 artifacts. Now, we are narrowing them down to 1 artifact and we are going to analyze them based on the methods of ideological criticism. The artifact I chose was the movie version of a Broadway hit, RENT. This musical is about more than just singing and dancing. It encompasses many ideologies such as, sexual orientation, social and economic class, anarchy and the overlying ideology of "Carpe Diem" or "Seize the day".

In the movie Rent, the 8 main characters experience plenty of good times and their fair share of hard times. Throughout the movie, many different ideologies are expressed. This culturally diverse group of friends all have different thoughts on different situations. One of those being sexual orientation. Although all of the characters are seemingly tolerant to this alternative lifestyle, it is widely known that many individuals across America are not. This is a constantly reoccurring situation in this film being that 4 out of the 8 main characters are in fact, gay.

Another belief that may be challenged in today's society are the social and economic classes depicted by the characters in this movie. The majority of the characters in this film are a part of the "squatter" community in the Alphabet City and East Village of New York City. As one can assume, they are dirt poor artists who take shelter in abandoned buildings as to avoid the obligation of paying rent. Although this does speak for the majority of the characters, some of them do have money or have come from a family with money and have successful careers in the business world. It is sometimes hard for the two subgroups to relate to one another because of this barrier. While one group feels oppressed by society's materialist adaptation of the "American Dream," the other group strives to achieve this level of social and economic hierarchy.

Thirdly, there is the ever present belief of anarchy. This ideology focuses on the lack of government or a governing body. In this alternate reality, one believes that the world would be better off if each individual had the freedom to dictate themselves. This movie clearly shows that the characters are not very fond of authority. For example, one of the characters, Tom Collins, was terminated from his position as an instructor at MIT for his theory of actual reality and his teachings of anarchy. Another example of anarchy in this film is the protest that the character Maureen has to fight the oppression of the new owners of the buildings that her friends live in. Her protest and its attendees have a clear hostility towards any system of superiority.

Finally, there is the overlying ideology of "Carpe Diem" or "Seize the day". This optimistic outlook has a still, looming presence through the storyline of this movie. Even through the struggles of poverty, fighting addiction, and living with a disease in which you body attacks itself, these people still find a way to live every day to its fullest potential. They often mention the phrase, "No day but today". It is obvious that this phrase has given hope to this dynamic group of people. This ideology in particular shines light on the dark situations that they deal with on a daily basis. It is these beliefs in never letting an opportunity pass you by that leaves the theater in the hearts of every member of the audience and inspires a generation of hopeful youth to stand up and against any obstacle.

3 Artifacts That Could Be Analyzed Using Methods of Ideological Criticism

3 Artifacts That Could Be Analyzed Using Methods of Ideological Criticism

The first artifact that I would like to analyze using methods of ideological criticism is movie version of a VERY popular Broadway play, RENT. I have chosen this particular film as an artifact because the lifestyle choices of the characters in this film are very interesting. For instance, these people have chosen the bohemian lifestyle which includes squatting in the abandoned buildings of the Alphabet City and East Village in New York City. This is one of many aspects of this movie/culture I would like to explore.

Another artifact that can be analyzed using these methods is the show Criminal Minds. I'm sure this choice seems crazy but I would chose this because of this shows unique method of catching the "bad guys"! Unlike most crime shows, Criminal Minds focuses on the behavioral aspects of the criminals. The Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) if the FBI are the team responsible for creating a behavioral and physical profile for the serial killers and catching them because of their ability to "think like a killer" and anticipate the next move of the killer.

Finally, the third item that I have chosen to analyze using methods of ideological criticism is my all-time favorite movie The Color Purple!! I have chosen this movie because of its story of struggle between a woman and a man, the struggles between blacks and whites, and the struggle of overcoming all obstacles. One prime example is when Celie, the main character, decides to break away from the tyrannical rule of her husband Mister. After all of the abuse she endured throughout the course of this film, she finally stands up for herself by saying no to his oppression and overall mind control. I believe that the way that Mister successfully controls the mind of Celie is interesting and worth some critical investigation.