I loved these videos! I watched Michael Baumann’s Creating a Slam Poem, Michelle Day’s Composing Spaces, and Amy McCleese Nichols’ Composing Relationships and Experiences. There are so many wonderful things that were happening in each of these pieces, but I’ll just go through each one by one and talk about what I think it says about the cannons we’ve been talking about this semester. 

So I think Baumann’s is the most generic, which isn’t bad, in the representation of the Canons because he truly talks about each stage, specifically arrangement and delivery. I think my own composing process resembled his out of all the videos I watched. He did start with some collaborative actions, like discussing his ideas with a trusted confidant, but most of the writing process was between him, google, and a paper. (However, we have some key differences because most of the writing I do these days is research based and not as personal, but still fun!) Once he was satisfied with the arrangement, he focused on his style. The movements and inflections that were necessary to bring his piece alive. Even though he didn’t say it directly, I assume there’s a sense of memory in this as well, because he eventually settles on a certain way to perform words; where to pause or punch a certain word or make a vowel longer than necessary. I’ve always seen memory as a loose relation to familiarity with a subject or piece. In my own writing, I guess that transfers to being knowledgeable enough about writing in a confident manner. Baumann does directly talk about delivery and how it even changes his piece a little bit while he responds to the audience. I understand that, especially from an acting sense. (Small backstory: My freshman year I performed in a 10 minute play for my acting class and I had a line that was supposed to be funny, and usually the test audiences laughed a polite amount at it, but it wasn’t a big deal. On show day, the audience absolutely howled at this line! So I paused a bit before my next line and hit it harder than I had ever practiced, which is kinda risky, because the director had specifically asked me to do something different. But it paid off! It was one of the loudest laughs of the night and the director loved it! So that’s just an example of working with the audience to create a better experience). So I think his main point is kinda similar to what Dr. Whiddon says in a lot of his classes, the process of invention and revision never really ends until you turned the piece in or have finished performing the piece, etc. There is always a way to enhance or add, whether it be from the actual vocabulary or to the style and delivery. 

Day’s Composing Spaces made me think about the things I need in order to feel comfortable for an in depth writing session. I guess I’m similar to her, but there are other objects that bring me comfort that I like to have around. Of course, my computer is essential, but so are headphones, even if I’m not listening to any music. I think it’s a universal signal to those around me that I am not available for a conversation. While Day likes to cross her legs, I like having a blanket, even at Waffle House. I think she emphasizes that writing is an action that can honestly take place anywhere (that has wifi) and we can form the space that is conducive to that activity. I suppose she emphasizes the step before invention takes place: preparation. Or something like that. Taking care of our needs before we sit down before a computer. We also hear this from self help books too; you can work more efficiently in a clean space or that silence helps you focus. However, Day is pointing out that you can create a space for yourself anywhere, and kinda like in my soundscape, you can tune the rest of the world out (but I know that’s not really a realistic option for many people, but at least the space can be created.) 

The final video I watched, and probably my favorite is McCleese Nichols’ piece, Composing Relationships and Experiences. It made me so grateful and happy after I watched it because I began to think about all the people around me who sacrifice and work hard to help make my time at college a little bit easier. From my selfless parents to my kind professors and supportive friends. The men and women at the caf that strive to make me smile at every meal and the women at Waffle House who bring me candy because they think I need a bit more fun. My roommate pointed out that these contributions are not equivalent though, and I agree with that. My parents have sacrificed more for me personally than anyone on the list quite frankly, and I adore them for that, however I don’t think contributions should be overlooked even if they’re small. For my senior thesis, I am writing about democratic backsliding and I was talking (actually I was complaining) to a friend about how one of the theories I am studying is about the modernization theory which postulates that some nations are not democracies and are economically underdeveloped because they don’t have the culture to support such modernization. I find this theory to be arrogant, advocating cultural supremacy of the west, and slightly racist. I wanted to exclude it all together and not pay any attention to it. However, he told me that it was a major movement and there might be some validity to the theory. Perhaps there needs to be a certain culture that supports an economic model that we have. Valuing independence and private property as opposed to close familial ties and the overall survival of the community. I’m not really doing justice to his argument, but the bottom line is that he caused me to reconsider leaving out the modernization theory, and now it’s a big portion of my paper. I absolutely loved her emphasis upon the collaborative nature of invention. I think that extends to arrangement as well (I make my roommate read most of my papers and I read hers!). McCleese Nichols was able to present this concept that we’ve talked about all semester into basically a thank you letter to those who support her. I would love to do something similar. I want people around me to know how thankful I am for their support the last four years.

2/4/20

Reading: Reflection on the previous activity

For our last class, we had the chance to experiment with five methods to transcribe and document thoughts. We were given three tasks and ten minutes to complete them. It was quite rare that I even completed all the tasks and the level of quality varied for each. I started with clay modeling first. We had little tools we could use to sketch words into the clay, calling back to how civilizations would oversee finances within the state which date back to 9000 BCE. I did not attempt to transcribe the passage in Latin but focused on the drawing of a map between Cowgill and where I live, Fourth Street apartments. I quickly realized that the allocation of space would be difficult and the level of detail I could achieve was minimal. However, if I made a mistake, I could quickly smudge it away, but I don’t think ancient scribes had that luxury. Otherwise, I could feel myself becoming frustrated. The images and words I was trying to convey were not easily represented. So when I wrote “Fourth Street”, you could barely read it. It struck me how easily a word could be misread in this context, which could lead to some serious mistakes in transcribing ancient documents. The next station I went to involved crayons and paper, which I was very excited about. I think no matter what age I’m at, I will always smile at the prospect of being able to use bright, colorful crayons. Which brings me to my point about using crayons; they allow for an easy creative expression unlike any of the other stations (painting is a little different in my opinion). There are so many colors, so the level of detail you can include in the more artistic tasks could improve dramatically. So instead of just writing about my favorite movie La La Land, I could illustrate some of the most memorable scenes. I could use colors that were central to the film’s palette. However, you did have to press a bit harder into the paper than with a pencil or pen, but that’s a willing sacrifice for the expressive colors in my opinion. 

Next, I went to the iPad (my iPhone) station. I know I could’ve taken a picture of the passage and posted it to my notes, or even downloaded Latin onto my phone through Google Translate, but I decided to transcribe it instead. I thought that it would take around 4 minutes because I type very quickly, but I ran into an unanticipated issue. Spell check on my phone would always correct a word without me noticing. So half of the battle was making sure the word I typed stayed the same! For the other tasks, I was able to take a screenshot of my position in Cowgill and use Apple Maps to look up directions to my apartment on fourth street. I could also just insert a link to an article explaining why La La Land is one of the best films in a while (which I completely agree). After the iPhone experience, I went to the typewriter, which I was very excited about. It was much harder than I thought and I made a comment in class about it makes sense that so many older men and women suffer from carpal tunnel and arthritis in their hands because of the continuous straining the hands must experience in order for a sentence to be legible. I can also note the difficulty of not making a mistake. Unlike the clay or my phone, I could not easily just erase or smudge a mistake and keep going. At one point, I was just writing on the same line and didn’t even notice it! 

The last station to be used involved paint but was meant to represent a quill and pen. During my tours at the Old State Capital, I talk a lot about what life was like for the representatives in the mid 19th century and I wondered how they could write so small and legibly by using essentially small paintbrushes. Perhaps they honed their craft from a young age, or maybe some people had horrible penmanship, just like today (specifically my older brother). This station also allowed for creativity in a similar way to the crayons but was still limited due to what can be accomplished with a paintbrush and little talent. So smaller things, like letters, were kinda impossible to make, so instead, I painted a picture from another fond movie of mine, Finding Nemo. 

Each method had its limitations and areas that were expanded to allow for a more intricate final product. In Brooke’s piece, he points out that there will always be critics of new forms of technology and complaints on how some sort of art will be lost. I think it is important to look at these tools as just that, tools. They are not bad or good nor have some overall morality. It’s like any other tool that has the potential to be extraordinarily helpful or injurious to a person or form. Perhaps looking at their effects might be a little overdone, but instead looking at why we invent objects to help with specific tasks. What does that say about the average person and what they look for in a product? A larger iPhone comes out because people want the text on their phones to be bigger. Another iPhone comes out with a better camera because people like to take pictures. Each iteration shows what the company believes the general public will value. I think that conversation is very interesting and I’d love to hear what the rest of the class thought! Overall, I liked this experiment. 

1/23/20

Reading: The Digital: Rhetoric Behind and Beyond the Screen

Boyle, Brown, and Ceraso take an interesting approach to defining what is digital. Instead of limiting digital to a specific category, they believe it to be this omnipresent figure that is no longer confined to devices, but is an “embodied condition through which most of our basic processes operate” (252). I like how they acknowledge the dramatic impact that digital works have taken on the human mind. I agree that they approach technology as a common feature of modern existence. Many governments like Canada and Australia have begun to approach internet connection as a resource like water and electricity. I think this is a modern view that improves the condition of living for many individuals by offering access to knowledge of any subject, online communities, and rapidly changing trends. Digital objects have become as incolous as shoes. It’s just expected and normal for one to have access to some gadgets that can access the internet. I think the authors of this piece treat digital objects as a necessary part of life instead of just a potential useful object like the author of the Digital Rhetoric book. They acknowledge that almost everyone has had or will have contact with a digital device so affirming its ubiquitous nature will help open up the field of study. 

This might not be very related to the prompt, but I still want to talk about it. So the authors kind of allude to the notion that it’s impossible to avoid the use of digital devices and digital rhetoric, which I see the point of. We come into contact with advertisements of a digital rhetoric nature everywhere (think of electronic billboards and flashing neon signs, I count that in with digital rhetoric) but even as the pervasiveness of technology grows, I think people are also getting better at ignoring the message and effects. So while advertisers will continue to manipulate their screens and infomercials to bring attention to their message, consumers will become more steadfast in their ability to pay no mind to it. So then this leads advertisers to find even more obnoxious ways of getting the consumers attention. It’s kind of like a cycle in my mind.  

As for my definition of rhetoric, well, to be honest I’m not sure. I think Eyeman’s definition is too limited, but I think Boyle and the others’ definition is too much! I think acknowledging it as a resource is on the right track, but saying that it is “too late to single out the digital as being a thing we can point at and whose fate we can easily determine” is a bit much. Can one not perform tests on what kind of rhetoric (digital or print) seems to be more memorable or resonate better with an individual? Can we come up with more studies about the effects of screen time, especially since babies and toddlers are growing up with the presence of screens? I think we can definitely measure the effects of digitizing rhetoric. So anyways, if I had to define digital rhetoric, it would be along the lines of translating language through a device in order to construct a verbal or auditory experience that can be manipulated by the consumer. I know it’s rough, but at least it doesn’t define the materials that have to be used (because I definitely agree with the point of the typewriter being the first word processor; I found that fascinating!) Nor am I defining what the user/creator must know or have in order to be a credible producer of digital rhetoric. So even a child with little to no formal training of rhetoric can still manufacture a piece of digital rhetoric. 

The “General Introduction” in the Rhetorical Tradition covered the highlights of the long and rich history of rhetoric, from its prominence in classical society (Aristotle) to its association to all, everyday language in the twentieth century (Kenneth Burke). He details influential thinkers and trends that can be observed in the Classical Period (birth in ancient Greece to about 400 c.e.), the Medieval Period(to about 1400), the Renaissance Period (to about 1700), the Enlightenment Period (late 17th through the 18th century), the Nineteenth Century, and the Modern and Postmodern Period (twentieth century). Throughout the ages, a few themes remain consistent: the relationship between knowledge and communication and exploration of the complexities between communication and persuasion. Another factor that changes overtime is the demographic allowed to participate in rhetoric, whether in academia or in the public sphere. From the beginning, elite males were able to study rhetoric and participate in public discourse, which was extremely influential in society. Eventually, women and those of color were reluctantly able to participate, but usually on a confined number of subjects or wouldn’t be able to due to safety concerns (for example, in the United States, women were confined to speaking politically about the condition of the home and family publicly until the 1920s. Many people of color worried for their safety due increase of lynchings in the 1930s). So while the definition of rhetoric is very flexible, there are some components that were established early on that still holds merit today. 

For example, The five part process of preparing a speech remains a cornerstone for the study of rhetoric (the steps of Invention, Arrangement, Style, Memory, and Delivery). The three forms of persuasive appeal are also introduced, logos (reason), pathos (emotion), and ethos (authority), which are still taught today. Speaking of today, many of the rhetoricians that were cited as being significant are also famous political theorists and we are required to read for my political theory course  (and also Political Theory II which is more modern and talks about Locke and Nietzsche). It makes sense because the theorists must answer the detail their cosmology and oftentimes their epistemology (which means the way that we gain knowledge, as I just learned!) So I would like to attempt to analyze that aspect in future readings if I can and also practice my analyzation skills upon the thoughts of authors when discussing the relationship between communication and knowledge. 

I would also like to emphasize the argument presented by Virginia Woolf and expand it slightly. Not only has there been a void of rhetorical expression by white women and people of color, but also the LGBTQ+ community. These social barriers caused the field to only recently expand beyond the expiration of heteronormative and traditional gender roles. Allowing for the development of rhetorical expression for these groups continues to enrich the field further, giving insight to previously marginalized populations. 

As for the “Introduction” to Digital Rhetoric, Douglas Eyman wrote a technology literacy narrative in order for the audience to understand why he chose to write about rhetoric in specific lenses: history, methods, and practice. He also includes his professional qualifications (establishing his ethos) and a quick summary of the chapters. I think one of the smaller points made, but I actually really like was his observation of a choice that he and his brother were forced to negotiate. They had to choose between using the television and the internet. (My favorite comedian Hasan Minaj does a bit about this in a special; I highly recommend it!) While this may seem silly, Eyman has a point! Individuals were given a choice whether to seek out their entertainment through a computer and have more agency over the creation and interacting abilities, or to consume entertainment. Even the ability and access to becoming a creator increased. Participating in online communities, like social media, is considered to be customary and essential in some places. 

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