I keep thinking about my project 3, and I'm pretty sure my next [rhetorical] move will be to step away from my topic a bit; to make some distance between the topic & the reader. I've used metaphors and personal narrative to draw the reader in and to help him/her/hir understand my view, but now I need to come at it from a distance.
*add in the distance to the beginning to give framework & foundation*
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
A sentence starts out like... 10/28/11
A sentence starts out like a new puppy waking from a nap. It slowly but surely rolls over itself, with a cloudy sense of clarity, unsure of its surroundings. It blinks a few times, bringing more into focus as the seconds tick by, with each letter that appears. After getting up, the puppy suddenly stands, swaying slightly, beginning to stumble along. Its young hips swing to and fro as he weaves with a drunken mind, not knowing where he's going. After circling his spot once, twice- even three times, this drunken puppy collapses with exhaustion onto the carpet, allowing his eyes to once again droop slowly shut.
If walls could talk... 10/28/11
Michael Wesch's A Vision of Students Today
Although technology has helped society & the world make huge strides for centuries, it has taken away, or further removed us from the knowledge we are actually seeking or looking at. For example, the microscope has helped us see the details of the microscopic world and learn the parts of a singular blood cell, but what has been happening in real life around us - without us - during that time?? Students, especially, are getting so drawn into this world of technology, as the years pass, we are less and less able to experience what's actually around us. If I was analyzing this as a teenager's life, I would say our society is unconsciously using technology as an escape from the larger problems physically surrounding us
The Problem of Describing Trees (1 of 12)
Please read this poem by Robert Hass, first.
Hass' argument in the poem linked above is that language - words, rather - has its limits. There are things that cannot be described using words. There are also things that have been described using words, but those words don't always capture the essence of it. Hass uses trees as an example. The movement of trees is often described as dancing in poetry, but he points out that this word, 'danced,' does not capture that movement. He attempts to use another word before stating his argument. He gives an example- an application, of his argument before the reader realizes that he is making an argument.
The italicized line, "Dance with me, dancer. Oh, I will," can mean 2 things. Rather- I see 2 scenarios of who is speaking and to whom they are speaking. The poet could be reflecting on his experience of the movement of the trees; the trees are asking the poet to dance with them. What makes more sense in analysis of the poem, however, is that the poet is speaking to the reader- telling the reader he will play the game of attempting to describe the trees as long as the reader will participate.
Extra note: words as representations- a la Plato's Allegory of the Cave
Hass' argument in the poem linked above is that language - words, rather - has its limits. There are things that cannot be described using words. There are also things that have been described using words, but those words don't always capture the essence of it. Hass uses trees as an example. The movement of trees is often described as dancing in poetry, but he points out that this word, 'danced,' does not capture that movement. He attempts to use another word before stating his argument. He gives an example- an application, of his argument before the reader realizes that he is making an argument.
The italicized line, "Dance with me, dancer. Oh, I will," can mean 2 things. Rather- I see 2 scenarios of who is speaking and to whom they are speaking. The poet could be reflecting on his experience of the movement of the trees; the trees are asking the poet to dance with them. What makes more sense in analysis of the poem, however, is that the poet is speaking to the reader- telling the reader he will play the game of attempting to describe the trees as long as the reader will participate.
Extra note: words as representations- a la Plato's Allegory of the Cave
Monday, November 14, 2011
Article relating to previous post
An article I'd like to keep record of somehow, so I might as well share it with whoever happens upon this blog...
The Death of the 'Transgender' Umbrella
The Death of the 'Transgender' Umbrella
The beginning of an essay perhaps?
**to come back to later in life (when i have more time)**
The article, Gender bending: let me count the ways (and its comments) inspired the following (beginning of an essay, perhaps?):
**NOTE: In this post, I discuss exclusively GENDER, not one's physical sex or genetalia.
Although I found this article highly informative and am glad to be (somewhat) caught up on the happenings in Australia, I think there is one critical foundation one needs to understand before jumping into the complexities of labeling gender.
The way humans process information, and the world around us, is to try to make order out of chaos. Basically, to make sense of everything, we break things down and categorize them. However, not all things are able to be separated, labeled and placed neatly in their categorical box. The best example of this is probably the color spectrum. Although the color spectrum is often simplified to separate color categories, within each category is another spectrum. Humans can work until the end of time trying to give a label or name to each slice of the spectrum, but within each slice is another spectrum of color. Just because we cannot see with our limited eyesight the differences in each spectrum of color does not mean the spectrum itself doesn't exist.
Another example of human-created category is gender. Gender is a spectrum, and in the simplification of this spectrum (male and female), it seems humans often forget or cannot see the rest of the spectrum. Just as the simplifying of the color spectrum leaves out a vast amount of color, so too does the simplifying of gender.
The article, Gender bending: let me count the ways (and its comments) inspired the following (beginning of an essay, perhaps?):
**NOTE: In this post, I discuss exclusively GENDER, not one's physical sex or genetalia.
Although I found this article highly informative and am glad to be (somewhat) caught up on the happenings in Australia, I think there is one critical foundation one needs to understand before jumping into the complexities of labeling gender.
The way humans process information, and the world around us, is to try to make order out of chaos. Basically, to make sense of everything, we break things down and categorize them. However, not all things are able to be separated, labeled and placed neatly in their categorical box. The best example of this is probably the color spectrum. Although the color spectrum is often simplified to separate color categories, within each category is another spectrum. Humans can work until the end of time trying to give a label or name to each slice of the spectrum, but within each slice is another spectrum of color. Just because we cannot see with our limited eyesight the differences in each spectrum of color does not mean the spectrum itself doesn't exist.
Another example of human-created category is gender. Gender is a spectrum, and in the simplification of this spectrum (male and female), it seems humans often forget or cannot see the rest of the spectrum. Just as the simplifying of the color spectrum leaves out a vast amount of color, so too does the simplifying of gender.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Writing Project #3: roadblocks, bumps in the road, & massive bumper-to-bumper traffic
My "place" for project 3 is my body.
Material used for Project #3
Thus far, I've read the following in my search for material to use in Project 3:
- The poem, Bruised Knees and Elbows. In fact, the entire blog from which it comes, my mother is a fish.
- The article, A Cliché Trapped in a Metaphor's Body, and its comments.
- The article? blogpost?, My Body - My Words.
- The video trans man: a poem by ira gray.
- The video "Hir" Poem - Brave New Voices.
- The blog post, One more time with this.
- The blog post, FTM Dysphoria Poem by Shawn.
- The blog post, Scars.
- The blog post, How To Make Love to a Trans Person.
Boy & Girl Words
Listing words I associate with 'girl' and 'boy.' I found out after brainstorming these words that it was supposed to be words that can be used in place of 'boy' and 'girl.' These words were the first I associate, without regarding good/bad/positive/negative/politically correct/etc.
Girl-
Boy-
**I found this in my drafts- I thought I posted it a long time ago, sorry!
Girl-
- female
- fox
- sexy
- curvy
- vagina
- boobs
- tits
- dyke
- lesbian
Boy-
- male
- penis
- cock
- dick
- ftm
- gay
- faggot
**I found this in my drafts- I thought I posted it a long time ago, sorry!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Is this relevant?
See this blog post first.
Why does Meddy suggest this is relevant? What is one rhetorical strategy used by the video's creators?
This is totally relevant to all that we've been discussing, reading, and writing about in the last unit- the remediation of text. It's an example of how text is being remediated, and how the writing space is being refashioned...this is an example in real time, in real life, of this change happening NOW. Now. And now.
A rhetorical strategy used is simply in the narration between the video shots of the baby. The audience does not know whether the baby is actually frustrated by the immobility of the text (magazines), but is given that impression by the creator(s) of the video through narrating the baby's thoughts.
Why does Meddy suggest this is relevant? What is one rhetorical strategy used by the video's creators?
This is totally relevant to all that we've been discussing, reading, and writing about in the last unit- the remediation of text. It's an example of how text is being remediated, and how the writing space is being refashioned...this is an example in real time, in real life, of this change happening NOW. Now. And now.
A rhetorical strategy used is simply in the narration between the video shots of the baby. The audience does not know whether the baby is actually frustrated by the immobility of the text (magazines), but is given that impression by the creator(s) of the video through narrating the baby's thoughts.
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