Words Move Us

The argument here is that words moves us in different ways, sometimes when there is no words to describe it. For example, when talking about the trees, Hass contradicts himself several times before stating that there is no word for how these trees moved, yet it still managed to move him. The use of nature creates an abstract visual to guide us into the argument. Hass creates beautiful imagery and relates poetry to nature.  In the end, he seals the argument by saying “The Aspen doing something in the wind” Proving that sometimes, there is no single word needed to make you feel.

In the middle of the poem, Hass writes “Dance with me, dancer. Oh, I will.” I believe that this is poetry talking to the narrator in the poem. The line before this one says “It is good sometimes for poetry to disenchant us.” I believe he personifies poetry into the character of a woman, and the narrator cannot resist it’s enchantment. 

What is writing?

I absolutely believe that the four-letter word project is a form of writing. Writing is more than just documented text, it is something that should should make you feel. Writing a song, writing a list, even writing "I love you" on a piece of crumpled up paper can provoke the same amount of emotion that a whole novel can provide. The four letter word project is a perfect example of this. Although it was one word, it provoked immense amounts of emotions, the pictures just being a simple aid to show how powerful the word is. Words are the most powerful things that we have, and just to write one word down and have it provoke emotion is writing.

Putting on Text

When I put on text, I most definitely expect to have readers. Text is a very powerful thing, and human beings are very egotistical people. Together, they use the text to promote themselves and their beliefs. For example, I love Led Zeppelin. When I wear a Led Zeppelin tee shirt, I expect to have someone know who they are and maybe strike up a conversation. I use the power of text to have people read it and strike up a conversation.

Sample text from Crayon Response

Does flexibility in voice lead to flexibility of all things? If someone is able to have a flexible voice as they write, they will likely be able to cause the reader's attention span to be flexible. This is because the writer will be able to alter their voice, creating new characters or expressing and emphasizing ideas and opinions while grasping the reader's interest. Id a writer's voice is flexible, they will be able to create man characters with very developed personalities. The detail on each character will allow the reader to feel more connected to the story. Also, the writer should be able to shift from one voice to another if the truly are able to have a successful and flexible voice.
-Kaitlin Ayres

Crayon post

This crayon response has definitely showed what is more important to the writer. Every time she writes a main point, she pressed on the crayon harder. She was definitely influenced by the crayon. She talks about how if the writer develops this flexibility, they would also be able to develop different personalities easier. As she says this, she also developed a pattern with her crayon color; Pink, blue, green, orange. Which is kind of contradictory to her point.

However, her writing was very good. She took a hard concept to grasp and made it simple and did not have any "babies" she needed to kill. She got her point across with a minimum amount of fuss and made it easy to look at as well.

My Four letter Word

My four letter word is Scar. I find this word fascinating because it can stand for so much more than it is. A scar can be seen or be heard, or can be hidden. Scars show what you've been through and how far you have come. Scars are healed wounds, physically and mentally.

Hansel and Gretel Take on New York

AT&T has come out with a commercial about two young kids who are made out to be Hansel and Gretel, walking through the city and dropping breadcrumbs to make a path to find their way home. Obviously, the breadcrumbs did not last in the city and they found themselves lost. When they realized this, the young girl takes out her AT&T phone and turns on the GPS. 

This commercial was very witty in the sense that it shows how old society is no longer prevalent in today’s world. It is almost as if the breadcrumbs stood for security, you lay it down making a clear path to home, but people step all over it and it is no longer there. They subtly play off of parents’ fear in this commercial, showing, not telling, that there is no longer any security for your children so you should get them a phone to protect them from the dangers of the world. Unfortunately, this is a sad reality. Although AT&T portrayed this in a nonabrasive manner, it is true that today’s society is a lot more dangerous than how it used to be and we now need applications like this to stay safe. All of the “breadcrumbs” of old society are now vanishing right before our eyes with every new piece of technology that comes out. AT&T did a fabulous job scaring you into buying their product in a non-scary way. 

Heineken and Society

In the Ad for the famous beer Heineken, a seemingly young couple are showing off their new apartment filled to what appears to be their friends. A young woman brings her friends to her brand new walk-in closet where they all jump for joy and excitement. They appear to be puzzled when they hear a group of guys screaming for joy as well. When the camera shows what they are doing, the men are ecstatic about a walk in beer fridge. 

This commercial speaks volumes about society. The use of stereotyping is very evident in the sense that they make women seem shallow about clothes, but they make men seem excited over beer. It draws the obvious question which is why can’t the women be excited about the beer and why can’t the men be excited about clothes? When did our society decide that this is the way men and women should act and what we should like? This commercial is the perfect example of how the media dictates how we should act in order to be accepted into our society. Even when the men emulate the screams and hand gestures as the women, we know we are supposed to laugh. Why can’t it be ok that a man gets excited and acts like that without us laughing? 

This seemingly harmless commercial is actually everything that’s wrong with society wrapped up in one 60 second mess. It is 2011, not 1952. It is time to drop the stereotypes and get a little innovative with our commercials.

What is My Writing Process Like?

My writing process consists of many different oddities that would probably only work for my brain. I usually sit down, outside or in a nicely decorated area, and meditate on what it is I’m about to write. I sit and breathe, come up with a few witty sentences, an jot them down. It’s almost as if I write the whole work in my head, see it on paper, then begin to write it and watch it match what I have in my head. After I try my hardest to make it match, I go and get some tea, or eat, or anything really to just walk away from it. I usually have a different conversation, and then something I would want in my work will pop in my brain. I would write it down more often than not on my hand, and eventually make my way back to my computer. Having entered in that tidbit, I reread my work out loud, and try to mimic my professors voice to see if it sounds good coming from them. I then laugh at myself because I laugh at my own jokes all the time and think I am a lot funnier than I actually am. 

My best work, however, is written on paper. As much as I love the internet and technology, nothing beats the satisfaction of seeing a blank page being filled with your best thoughts. 

Home is like...

Home is like sipping on hot chai tea on a crisp fall morning. That feeling of comfort you receive from it overpowers the anxiety of the day ahead. Home is like falling asleep and taking the best nap ever knowing all your duties are accomplished for the day. It's that feeling when you close your eyes on the swing and you think you're going to lift off. Home is like love, it's an inspiration, and one of the most important aspects of our lives.

Derrida's Passion

The only time when I am afraid to write is when it is a topic I do not understand fully. Other than that, I can write about anything. Jaques Derrida's words on his writing was highly relatable. One cannot be afraid to write the truth, and inscribe all your feelings and emotions in every word. Writing does not always have to be serious. However, everything one decides to write down should have feeling behind it, hence why I am afraid to write about something I do not fully understand. Derrida spoke about how he would never take back what he wrote if it offended someone. I agree completely. My belief is to write what you feel and feel what you write.

The Endless Possibilities of Digital Text

The argument in this Prezi presentation was that technology such as E-readers, Facetime, etc... is not overpowering writing so much as it is writing. They showed how different forms of these technologies are writing, just writing revolutionized. Print text is still in our culture, but it now serves as more of a foundation for new technology rather than our main source of reading and writing. As Bolter stated, it is a sense of remediation, not disintegration.

Taylor Mali Breaks it Down

Taylor Mali's performance of his poem versus the written out version present different interpretations in one's brain. Although Mali's performance was well acted out, the use of the text brought forth a better understanding of the words that were being spoken. The words acted out what Mali was saying; each defining word had some sort of animation that set it apart from the rest. It highlighted exactly what needed to be emphasized and made one realize exactly what he was saying to a better degree. 

 The text makes the poem clearer and gives more imagery that one would not get from the performance. For example, when he said that we are chopping down our language, the words created a tree that was chopped down by the next words he spoke. Although Mali's performance had a more comical appeal to it, the text is what makes you really sit down and understand exactly what he is trying to say.

AT&T Commercial

AT&T has come out with a commercial about two young kids who are made out to be Hansel and Gretel, walking through the city and dropping breadcrumbs to make a path to find their way home. Obviously, the breadcrumbs did not last in the city and they found themselves lost. When they realized this, the young girl takes out her AT&T phone and turns on the GPS. 

This commercial was very witty in the sense that it shows how old society is no longer prevalent in today’s world. It is almost as if the breadcrumbs stood for security, you lay it down making a clear path to home, but people step all over it and it is no longer there. They subtly play off of parents’ fear in this commercial, showing, not telling, that there is no longer any security for your children so you should get them a phone to protect them from the dangers of the world. Unfortunately, this is a sad reality. Although AT&T portrayed this in a nonabrasive manner, it is true that today’s society is a lot more dangerous than how it used to be and we now need applications like this to stay safe. All of the “breadcrumbs” of old society are now vanishing right before our eyes with every new piece of technology that comes out. AT&T did a fabulous job scaring you into buying their product in a non-scary way. 

Heineken Commercial

In the Ad for the famous beer Heineken, a seemingly young couple are showing off their new apartment filled to what appears to be their friends. A young woman brings her friends to her brand new walk-in closet where they all jump for joy and excitement. They appear to be puzzled when they hear a group of guys screaming for joy as well. When the camera shows what they are doing, the men are ecstatic about a walk in beer fridge. 

This commercial speaks volumes about society. The use of stereotyping is very evident in the sense that they make women seem shallow about clothes, but they make men seem excited over beer. It draws the obvious question which is why can’t the women be excited about the beer and why can’t the men be excited about clothes? When did our society decide that this is the way men and women should act and what we should like? This commercial is the perfect example of how the media dictates how we should act in order to be accepted into our society. Even when the men emulate the screams and hand gestures as the women, we know we are supposed to laugh. Why can’t it be ok that a man gets excited and acts like that without us laughing? 

This seemingly harmless commercial is actually everything that’s wrong with society wrapped up in one 60 second mess. It is 2011, not 1952. It is time to drop the stereotypes and get a little innovative with our commercials.

Pantene Commercial

In the Thai Pantene commercial, a young deaf girl faces many challenges in her reality. Not only is playing her violin a challenge in itself, but she is also bullied, ridiculed, and harassed. It is not until she plays her violin when she can escape her hard reality.

When she plays her violin, she envisions herself in a field. This field signifies freedom where she can feel around, observe, and just be with herself with no one to judge her. When the wind blows through the field, it is as if it is her being able to breathe; A deep breath that she cannot get in her own reality. When she plays her violin, it brings forth all these intense and passionate emotions for her. She envisions her breaking free in every sense; the butterfly breaking from the cocoon, the wind blowing through the wheat, her hair down and flowing, etc... It is all just a reflection of how free she feels when she plays. It becomes her escape to her own paradise. This field help to heal a seemingly broken girl who, with one chord on the violin, can finally be free.

10 Questions for the Heineken Commercial

Here are ten questions I proposed for the Heineken Commercial

• Where were the young couple from?
• Were they having a party or at a party?
• Are they new money or old money?
• Why is the woman showing off her living space?
• Are these people their friends?
• Did the man only show his friends his closet?
• Was it a refrigerator or a closet?
• What does this commercial say about men and women?
• Why aren't the women screaming for Heineken?
• Were the guys mimicking the girls?

10 Things Baseball Players Do

Here are ten things that a Baseball Player would do:

• Spit
• Hit
• Throw
• Run
• Slide
• Catch
• Eat
• Practice
• Itch
• Sleep

Observations from Heineken Commercial

Here are some observations from the Heineken Commercial

• Girl has an accent
• She is giving a tour
• She also has a large walk in closet of nicer clothes
• The girls she brought with her scream in excitement when they see said clothes/closet
• Girls are puzzled when they hear men screaming
• Cold chill filled his closet/ fridge as well as beer
• Guys have same hand motions/ screams as the girls did
• There were other people at the party
• They were a younger couple

Visa Debit Card Commercial

Here's the Commercial

In this Visa Debit Card commercial, they use the majority of the commercial playing aesthetically pleasing music and images of the sea creatures as well. It is not until the very end that they actually tell you what the commercial is for. However, you are so entranced in the way they mystify the sea creatures you do not really care what the commercial is about.

It pulls at your heart strings when the little girl looks up in amazement and is in her father's arms. Every good father would love to be in that moment, as well as every little girl. Visa tries to portray that if you have their debit card, you're family life will be as touching and beautiful as this commercial. What they fail to mention is that if you have no money on this debit card, you cannot really "go" anywhere. The message behind this commercial is quite beautiful. However, when you find out what it is for it is kind of disappointing.

What is my writing process like?

My writing process consists of many different oddities that would probably only work for my brain. I usually sit down, outside or in a nicely decorated area, and meditate on what it is I’m about to write. I sit and breathe, come up with a few witty sentences, an jot them down. It’s almost as if I write the whole work in my head, see it on paper, then begin to write it and watch it match what I have in my head. After I try my hardest to make it match, I go and get some tea, or eat, or anything really to just walk away from it. I usually have a different conversation, and then something I would want in my work will pop in my brain. I would write it down more often than not on my hand, and eventually make my way back to my computer. Having entered in that tidbit, I reread my work out loud, and try to mimic my professors voice to see if it sounds good coming from them. I then laugh at myself because I laugh at my own jokes all the time and think I am a lot funnier than I actually am. 

My best work, however, is written on paper. As much as I love the internet and technology, nothing beats the satisfaction of seeing a blank page being filled with your best thoughts. 

John Trimble seems like a brilliant man. The phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword" is relevant here in a sense that every writer or warrior has his weapon. I agree with this completely. Writers use their talent of words to challenge what people think. Whether it be in the style of poetry, a novel, an article, or a song, they take their ideas and put them in a way people can understand and relate to. Some people fight, some people threaten, but writers use the biggest weapon of all- their mind.

Rhetoric is when you ask a question that does not need an answer.

Online Writing

As an old soul, I hate anything online. I don't understand why writing on a sheet of paper went out of style. It's so simple and you can keep it forever. It also is yours; you can hide it, you can throw it away, you can keep it private, you can seal it up, give it away- It's beautiful in a sense. 

I love sharing ideas and connecting to people through them, however, but for some reason online writing just freaks me out. I am trying to be open minded but I would hate to be judged on something from a complete stranger who has no idea of my tone or personality if that makes sense. I hope that this blog will change my mind of that.