1. The information that I found was most useful was the knowledge presented to help us analyze artifacts (The example essays). For me the easiest method to understand was Pentadic, but for some of the others I would have to go back and re-look over the chapter. The sample essays that came with each method provided me with how exactly the should be formatted, which gave me better knowledge of how to analyze a artifact.
2. My favorite part of this class were our class discussions. With each discussion there were so many different ideas, and different interpretations of how a method should be used. This provided greater insight because it wasn't only ideas from the book, we got to see how are classmates understood methods.
3. The most challenging aspect in this class for me was trying to understand the method of ideological criticism. Coming into this class I wasnt exactly sure of what it would be about, and ideological criticism threw me for a loop. Perhaps starting off with a easier method may be helpful for students to understand what rhetorical criticism is about.
4. I could incorporate what I've learned in this class by not only looking to what presents itself on surface, but look beyond the surface, look for the deeper meaning. Rhetors are all symbols, and there are symbols everywhere. So looking for the true meaning of something can help me understand a situation, lesson, etc.
5. A question that I found myself asking in a particular class was why did the professor make us watch a movie by the name "Blade Runner." After starting my paper for this class (and thinking rhetorically), it was very evident. This movie fit the exact genre of films we had been discussing at that time. When watching the movie I tended to pick up bits and pieces that matched the genre, and then when I began writing and analyzing the movie the puzzle came altogether. Even though one may think an object, idea etc. serves no purpose, ultimately it can.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Essay #2
The artifact I will be choosing for my final essay is the recent movie that was released "The Princess and the Frog". After looking over fantasy theme, I believe that this method may be best in analyzing my artifact. As explained in one of my other posts about "The Princess and the Frog" it is a typical fairytale story, where eventually the main characters fall in love with eachother. When this film was released it was a big deal because Disney had never had a black Princess before, this was their first one.
Im hoping to analyze all the symbolic convergences that come with this movie properly, because there are many. Such as Tiana starting off as a lower class worker, then becoming a Princess later on in the movie (as what happened in Cinderella.) And another one is the Prince being a frog and needing to be kissed to re-instate his status.
Im hoping to analyze all the symbolic convergences that come with this movie properly, because there are many. Such as Tiana starting off as a lower class worker, then becoming a Princess later on in the movie (as what happened in Cinderella.) And another one is the Prince being a frog and needing to be kissed to re-instate his status.
Monday, April 5, 2010
The Princess and The Frog
The artifact I have decided to chose for the method of Fantasy-Theme Criticism is the recent movie, The Princess and the Frog. This movie is about a young black girl named Tiana, whose family is not so fortunate as others. She started working at a very young age to provide for herself, and her family. And with the money she was making she was saving it to eventually open up her own restaurant.
The setting of the movie is in Louisiana, and one day a prince comes to marry into a females wealthy family. He makes a deal with a voodoo man and is turned into a frog. He runs into Tiana and asks her to kiss him to turn him back into a prince, but ends up turning her into a frog as well. They spend a great deal of the movie trying to turn back into humans, and realize that they have fallen for eachother.
Setting Theme- I think the setting theme is the idea that they are in New Orleans, Louisiana. Because the reason why the prince had been turned into a frog is because he spoke with a voodoo man. And voodoo is a practice that is seen and known for being in New Orleans.
Character Theme- The character theme stays true to the idea of a prince, and the somewhat damsel in distress. The prince of course is very handsome and has come from a wealthy lifestyle and expects everything to just come to him. She on the other hand has been a hardworker her entire life and is simply trying to make her dream come true.
Action Themes-Since my artifact is a movie, I will just chose a particular scene for action theme. Towards the end of the movie, when the prince and Tiana were still frogs they were preparing dinner and Tiana asked him to dice some mushrooms. The prince looked at the knife like a foreign object and Tiana then came over to show him how to dice the mushrooms for the gumbo. The action of Tiana showing him how to simply dice something, illustrated how he hasn't had to to anything in his lifetime, it's all been done for him. Also, this scene of the movie is where the feelings between them both started to flourish, even though earlier in the movie they could not stand one another.
The setting of the movie is in Louisiana, and one day a prince comes to marry into a females wealthy family. He makes a deal with a voodoo man and is turned into a frog. He runs into Tiana and asks her to kiss him to turn him back into a prince, but ends up turning her into a frog as well. They spend a great deal of the movie trying to turn back into humans, and realize that they have fallen for eachother.
Setting Theme- I think the setting theme is the idea that they are in New Orleans, Louisiana. Because the reason why the prince had been turned into a frog is because he spoke with a voodoo man. And voodoo is a practice that is seen and known for being in New Orleans.
Character Theme- The character theme stays true to the idea of a prince, and the somewhat damsel in distress. The prince of course is very handsome and has come from a wealthy lifestyle and expects everything to just come to him. She on the other hand has been a hardworker her entire life and is simply trying to make her dream come true.
Action Themes-Since my artifact is a movie, I will just chose a particular scene for action theme. Towards the end of the movie, when the prince and Tiana were still frogs they were preparing dinner and Tiana asked him to dice some mushrooms. The prince looked at the knife like a foreign object and Tiana then came over to show him how to dice the mushrooms for the gumbo. The action of Tiana showing him how to simply dice something, illustrated how he hasn't had to to anything in his lifetime, it's all been done for him. Also, this scene of the movie is where the feelings between them both started to flourish, even though earlier in the movie they could not stand one another.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Film Festival-Tillie Olsen
The event that I choose to go to for the Fim Festival was a documentary on Tillie Olsen. Tillie Olsen whom was born in 1912, was a writer, poet, activist and was part of the first feminist movement. Her stories epicted the lives of the working woman during the times of the 1930's. She wanted to be able to relate to the working mother, because she herself was one. One of her first short stories was " I Stand Here Ironing", which was a story about a mother trying to work on her relationship with her daughter, while maintaing a working lifestyle. Olsen's writing have encouraged many people to become feminist, or to show other's what women actually go through.
I think that the best form of criticism that we have learned in class should be Ideological Criticism to analyze this film. Ideological Criticism is the idea that multiple ideologies, multiple patterns of belief-exist in any culture and have the potential to be manifest in rhetorical artifacts. In watching the film I saw that there were a lot of deeper meanings to the reasons of Tillie's writings. There were many ideologies on the reasons for her being a poet, writer, activist etc. With the main ideology being everyone being treated equal.
One example that comes to mind is when the film showed Tillie amongst other women (of all races) holding up a sign that said women against Apartheid. This has two ideologies to me,the first being that even though they were in the years where racism was present they were able to come together, and the second being people from different races standing up for the same idea to help others. In another part of the film where her daughters were telling of people thinking her mother had less of a life because she couldn't do much because she had five children. With that being said it shows how people could look at the negative aspects of being a mother, and a mother can not enjoy her life having many children. Which is why Tillie wanted to write in the first place, to show people the deeper meaning behind what is on the surface.
I think that the best form of criticism that we have learned in class should be Ideological Criticism to analyze this film. Ideological Criticism is the idea that multiple ideologies, multiple patterns of belief-exist in any culture and have the potential to be manifest in rhetorical artifacts. In watching the film I saw that there were a lot of deeper meanings to the reasons of Tillie's writings. There were many ideologies on the reasons for her being a poet, writer, activist etc. With the main ideology being everyone being treated equal.
One example that comes to mind is when the film showed Tillie amongst other women (of all races) holding up a sign that said women against Apartheid. This has two ideologies to me,the first being that even though they were in the years where racism was present they were able to come together, and the second being people from different races standing up for the same idea to help others. In another part of the film where her daughters were telling of people thinking her mother had less of a life because she couldn't do much because she had five children. With that being said it shows how people could look at the negative aspects of being a mother, and a mother can not enjoy her life having many children. Which is why Tillie wanted to write in the first place, to show people the deeper meaning behind what is on the surface.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Pentadic Criticism
In using Pentadic Criticism I have decided to choose a completely new artifact. My artifact will be a book called "Their Eyes Were Watching God", which was made into a movie by Oprah not too long ago. The book tells a tremendous love story between Janie and Teacake, but there also is a lot more information in between there love story so I have decided to just take one particular part of the story.
Act: Janie leaving to be with Teacake
Agent: Janie
Agency: Her husband Jody died
Purpose: To have her first beneficial relationship
Scene: Florida, Everglades
In this pentad the purpose is absolutely the most dominant force because Janie has never been in a marriage where the love and dedication she put out was given back to her. In her first marriage she was matched with a 40year old man by her grandmother, which ended by her leaving him due to never having any emotions for him at all. After she left him she met Jody whom promised her the world only to end up controlling her. After Purpose I would say that Act would come next because it was looked at as such a deviant act in her town to leave with Teacake. She was the mayors wife whom was involved with a younger man, and then after her husband she immediately jetted out of town. The least important term is the scene primarily because even though Janie and Teacake were in Florida when the reader got to see the full out relationship, they were completely in love when livin in Eatonville, South Carolina, where Janie's then husband was the mayor. Eatonville is where their love began to develop and the reader sees Janie began to find herself. But it is in Florida where the reader sees hows much love and compassion she has for Teacake.
Act: Janie leaving to be with Teacake
Agent: Janie
Agency: Her husband Jody died
Purpose: To have her first beneficial relationship
Scene: Florida, Everglades
In this pentad the purpose is absolutely the most dominant force because Janie has never been in a marriage where the love and dedication she put out was given back to her. In her first marriage she was matched with a 40year old man by her grandmother, which ended by her leaving him due to never having any emotions for him at all. After she left him she met Jody whom promised her the world only to end up controlling her. After Purpose I would say that Act would come next because it was looked at as such a deviant act in her town to leave with Teacake. She was the mayors wife whom was involved with a younger man, and then after her husband she immediately jetted out of town. The least important term is the scene primarily because even though Janie and Teacake were in Florida when the reader got to see the full out relationship, they were completely in love when livin in Eatonville, South Carolina, where Janie's then husband was the mayor. Eatonville is where their love began to develop and the reader sees Janie began to find herself. But it is in Florida where the reader sees hows much love and compassion she has for Teacake.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Essay #1
My artifact that I am going to analyze us the American Flag that my father received after serving his twenty=three years in the Marine Corps. We keep the flag on a shelf in our house that is among many of his other great accomplishments in the service. However the shelf does have it's own shelf in a closed case because of how much it means. Glancing at the flag now has made me realize the significance of it, and therefore lead me to make it my artifact.
One major feature of my artifact is patriotism. When any person is handed an American Flag it is because they have shown honor for their country. The have demostrated dedication is supporting the country and their country's decisions rather they believed in them or not. Courage is also a great attribute that comes along with getting the flag. My father served overseas many times, and the lasr time he served was during Bush's administration in which he has to go to Iraq. It had to take ample amounts of courage to literally lay your life on the line everyday, as well as protecting the lives of others. The most important feature that I think comes with it is strength; both for being in the military for those years and maintaing a family at the same time. In the Marine Corps one of the phrases they live by is "Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body", so they look at strength as a core concept to be able to make it day to day in the Marines.
I am beginning to understand this ideological criticism method more than I have before, but I am still a little confused on the perfected way to do so. Therefore I looked in the book at the bottom of page 218 and applied two of the different categories listed that I felt fit best with my artifact. In forming my ideology the core belief behind the American Flag is Dedication. My father was dedicated through the Marines and his family through all of the ups and downs. But the underlining feature or the defining moment of my artifact is my father's retirement ceremony where he received the flag. My mother, sister, grandmother and a host of cousins drove down to Camp LeJune in North Carolina for the ceremony, and I had yet to understand the effect it would have on my life, and I have realized I have never felt more proud to say "That's my Dad." In his speech he acknowledged the commitment of his Marines and his family for being with him through everything. During the ceremony there were atleas one hundred-fifty people in attendance who were in support of him and his career, everyone recognized the positive aspects he brought to the core and his personal life.
One major feature of my artifact is patriotism. When any person is handed an American Flag it is because they have shown honor for their country. The have demostrated dedication is supporting the country and their country's decisions rather they believed in them or not. Courage is also a great attribute that comes along with getting the flag. My father served overseas many times, and the lasr time he served was during Bush's administration in which he has to go to Iraq. It had to take ample amounts of courage to literally lay your life on the line everyday, as well as protecting the lives of others. The most important feature that I think comes with it is strength; both for being in the military for those years and maintaing a family at the same time. In the Marine Corps one of the phrases they live by is "Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body", so they look at strength as a core concept to be able to make it day to day in the Marines.
I am beginning to understand this ideological criticism method more than I have before, but I am still a little confused on the perfected way to do so. Therefore I looked in the book at the bottom of page 218 and applied two of the different categories listed that I felt fit best with my artifact. In forming my ideology the core belief behind the American Flag is Dedication. My father was dedicated through the Marines and his family through all of the ups and downs. But the underlining feature or the defining moment of my artifact is my father's retirement ceremony where he received the flag. My mother, sister, grandmother and a host of cousins drove down to Camp LeJune in North Carolina for the ceremony, and I had yet to understand the effect it would have on my life, and I have realized I have never felt more proud to say "That's my Dad." In his speech he acknowledged the commitment of his Marines and his family for being with him through everything. During the ceremony there were atleas one hundred-fifty people in attendance who were in support of him and his career, everyone recognized the positive aspects he brought to the core and his personal life.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Ch.Seven
An ideology is a pattern of beliefs that determines a group's interpretations of some aspects of the world.
The primary components of ideology are: structuralism, marxism, deconstructuralism and postmodernism.
The primary components of ideology are: structuralism, marxism, deconstructuralism and postmodernism.
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