english1101

2003-12-08T11:47:00.000-05:00

First semester of college has been a time of firsts, even including my English class. English 1101 has been a complex course containing information on arguments from Good Reasons, the effects of technology, and blogging. Besides two written papers, the majority of our assignments have been submitted in the form of blogs. Because of the informality of blogs, we were able to focus more on the content of each post versus the grammatical value of the assignment.

We have written on a wide variety of topics throughout this semester ranging from a personal introduction to a visual text to a political blog. The wide selection of material to write on made the class not only more interesting but more fair as well. After reviewing my own blogs and papers from the semester I noticed a general trend that the length and quality of my posts improved as the semester transpired, but overall the best written blogs were about the topics I was most interested in.

This blog is largely focused on communication and technologies including photography, film, and blogging as a whole. This class brought up these topics in a whole new light. Before Professor Tryon connected visual texts with storytelling, I would never have thought of photography, for example, as an effective way to tell a story. By being introduced to new ideas in this class, I have developed new interests and strengthened existing ones.

My passion for photography is well represented as I argue that photography is an effective form of storytelling. In this post I give two examples to support my argument, a personal one and a published one. The fact that I could relate this argument to a personal experience in my life helped me to become more involved with the argument.

I discovered through Rachel Lucasâ€™s blog that pathos is the method of argumentation that is personally most convincing. Lucas writes a political blog in an honest and straight-forward manner. Because she so effectively uses pathos in her arguments, her audience easily loves her or hates her. Her informal manners make her more personable and easier to understand which may also contribute to her efficiency. I became interested in her blog because of her bluntness and use of pathos. She made me feel angry when she was angry and sad when she was sad. Through my own reaction to her blog I discovered what I believe to be the most effective method of arguing.

I surprised myself in my reaction to Walter Benjaminâ€™s essay â€œThe Storyteller.â€� Although the essay was difficult to understand, I strongly disagreed with those parts that I did understand. Through this assignment, I was able to take what I had learned about arguments and disagree with it; I was able to justify my opposition with personal experience. In our class discussion, I quickly learned that some of my classmates disagreed too. This was the first assignment that I was able to disagree with something and use my knowledge of ethos, pathos, and logos to confidently justify my disagreement.

The biggest improvement in my writing is apparent in the difference between my two written papers. In the first paper I wrote about a group-authored, political blog entitled Powerline. When I began my research I was interested in the blog, but started writing the actual paper I realized how little interest I had in the topics that the authors discussed. For the second paper I was more cautious with my topic selection, not only so that my interest would reflect in my paper, but also so that I would enjoy writing the paper more than I did the first. This topic had very few guidelines; we were to write about a visual text, to a specific audience, in a certain amount of words. I chose to write about the French film Amelie, which is also my favorite movie. We were also required to give a short presentation about our papers; my enthusiasm in my presentation not only displayed my love for the film but also how much I enjoyed writing this paper. The grades I received on the two papers demonstrate that there is a definite correlation between the quality of my writing and the interest I have in the topic I am writing about.

Another assignment in this class was a group authored blog which might have been the most educating of all of our assignments. Professor Tryon assigned us groups of four or five. We had to decide on a topic and blog about it for five weeks. My group decided to write about comedy movies. We all had different ideas of the definition of a good comedy, and this is mostly what we blogged about. By reading my group members blogs, I was able to find a whole new appreciation for humor that I never understood or I just did not understand. Being grouped with four extremely different people helped to make this an effective project, but also having kept individual blogs helped us develop our argumentative styles which are the basis for how much I learned from this blog.

I have learned more in English 1101 than I ever anticipated learning. I learned from Professor Tryon, my classmates, our readings, and also myself. Professor Tryon has an amiable way of making his lectures a class discussion. He is the exact opposite of intimidating which made the class not only easier to understand but more enjoyable as well. My classmates have taught me through our class discussions, their personal blogs, and our interaction with the group blogs. The readings have taught me more than I knew there was to know about arguments. I now know effective, sophisticated ways to prove a point and remain credible. I also learned from myself; I impressed myself with my ability to keep an open mind in arguments, with my usage of all available resources, and with the progress my writing has made through the semester.

2003-12-08T07:58:00.000-05:00

Jignesh Shah, Raghav Kohli, Johnny Elton, Y-Thao Truong, and Xin Guo's group blog about college food is a great guide for knowing where and where not to eat around Georgia Tech. This blog is so diverse because the five different tastes and situations.
The diversity of the students working on this blog can contribute to the success of the blog. Jignesh is a vegitarian, as am I, and he focuses on the availibility of vegitarian meals at different restaurants, dining halls, and in the student center. Y-Thao and Xin do not have meal plans so they focus on how they satisfy their hunger without the convenience of the dining halls. Most freshman, especially those on Freshman Experience, can most easily relate to Johnny and Raghav because they have meal plans and are not limited to any certain diet restrictions.
The set-up of this blog is extremely effective because although it is a group authored blog, all the blogs by one author are grouped together. I also liked how the group rated each restaurant because it gave a general idea of if the place was enjoyable or not.
This blog also offers information like location, websites, and even pictures. This is enticing because it allows those who read the blog to enjoy and experience the food that the students are talking about. I really enjoyed reading this blog and would definitely rely on it for restaurant suggestions.

2003-11-10T12:13:00.000-05:00

Tara McPherson brings up very many interesting qualities about the internet in her article "Reloaded."

McPherson specifies that television is a constant, with regular commercial breaks and a specific order. In contrast the internet has little order. The same shows that can be viewed on television can be viewed online, in any order, at any time, and with or without commercials WHILE a person is shopping or researching or doing another online task.

McPherson claims that by using the internet obsessively like many do, that people are becoming databases themselves. Because people are picking up random facts or just searching aimlessly for an interesting read, they are simply becoming databases for random information they pick up. I find this interesting because I am guilty of randomly searching the web for something interesting to read, but I do not consider myself a database. When I look over the internet, it is similar to flipping through a magazine or a library FULL of magazines with infinite amounts of information. Would this classify a librarian as a database?

McPherson notes that the use of search engines puts a limit on the amount of information that a person can access. Search engines are limited to only a small percentage of what is really posted on the web. By using certain search engines is one confining himself as a certain type of user? Does this help characterize people online? Because I might use one search engine and my friend might use another, are we giving ourselves, our identities as databases, classifications or character?

2003-11-03T10:53:00.000-05:00

Roland Barthes defends many points in his book Camera Lucida including that that a picture is not a person, and does not do a person justice. He talks about posing and how a pose does not represent the person as a whole, just that person POSING for that picture for that second. He feels as if he becomes an image rather than a person.

I do not really think that one becomes an image in a picture. I think that a photograph simply captures a person at a certain instance. Just because it may not represent every quality of a person does not mean it makes that person simply an image.

Barthes also says that photography is "unclassifiable;" however, photography can be classified in multiple ways, as art, memories, and documentation. Photography can capture the beauty in an object or a person and be classified as art. A collection of photos can be bound and kept as a memory from a vacation or outing. Historians use photos to document events that can be looked back on as references. Photography is difficult to classify but that does not make it "unclassifiable."

Barthes raises valid points and valid arguments; however as photography becomes more and more common, it is a better source of information, art, and documentation as ever before.

2003-10-31T11:32:00.000-05:00

The American Memory Project is an attempt to salvage early films. Because of the wear and tear over time, the film has become grainy and difficult to view, but through digital technology we are beginning to save these early documentations of societal interests.

Early films, similar to modern films, were created with the interest of the audience in mind. Many of the films I viewed in the American Memory Project archives had something to do with execution which seemed apparently popular with the people, or maybe it is just another way of documenting the event. The execution of McKinley's assassin correlates to the fascination that society had with electrocution. Although these films are sometimes difficult to see, they do give us insight into events of the time period and the interests of the people.

It is interesting to see these primal films with there limited camera angle and choppy movement. In comparison to modern films these early films are very unimpressive; however for the amount of technology that this era had, these films are actually quite respectable. For example, the film we viewed in glass with the ghost who came out of the clock. In order to make the ghost look like he was painting the subject very quickly, the film was played in reverse and really the ghost was painting OVER the already-painted subject. This tactic was extremely creative, effective, and entertaining.

2003-10-20T08:27:00.000-05:00

The High Museum of Art is appealing to a wide variety of people. The museum keeps a permanent collection and filters through other temporary exhibits to keep things interesting and appease a wider audience.
The way in which art is organized can affect the way it is viewed or who views it. The permanent collection at the High is organized in a spacious, free manor which allows for roaming and wandering and not a strict path. Other of the exhibits seemed to have a structured setup that took away much of the appeal for me. I enjoyed being able to wander in the permanent collection without having to be told exactly which piece to go to next.
On the High's website you can view many of the paintings that are on display in the museum. I decided to look at these before I went. I picked a few paintings that I studied the online replica and the real piece in the museum. There was an obvious difference in viewing the piece through the computer and in person. In person I was able to see many details that went easily unnoticed when i viewed them online.
The Richard Meier exhibit was also very fascinating because there is no comparison to viewing three dimensional architectural pieces online and in the flesh. This exhibit was so incredible to me because it made me look at the pieces differently to be able to appreciate them for both useful tools and art; however, I really felt that I was able to see the art in practical things like furniture.

2003-10-10T10:17:00.000-05:00

For my second paper I plan on writing about the film Amelie. This French film uses color and visual aspects to communicate with the audience. The scarcity of oral communication accentuates the visual appeal of the film.
I will have to go back and watch the film a few more times because I do not speak French; however, I will put up English subtitles at least one of the times that I watch it.
Few of my friends enjoyed the movie as much as I did because it was frustrating to have to concentrate on both the visual aspects of the movie while reading the subtitles. I've seen the movie four times and only once did I use the subtitles. The cinematography is just incredible. I have never been one to appreciate films until I saw this movie.
There is so much more than just the plot of the movie. This film has hidden clues and added parts throughout the movie. The wonderful thing about the movie is that all of the added hidden charm is in the visual aspects of the film, so even those who don't speak French are able to enjoy it.

2003-10-03T10:39:00.000-05:00

My blogger is making me insanely mad because it won't publish my links that I've included, so I'll just write out their urls for you because they are wonderful...
Michael Abbott website is www.mabot.com
and the sundial picture that is my favorite is www.mabot.com/paw02/wk13.html.

2003-10-03T10:32:00.000-05:00

I love photography. However cliche it might be, the statement, "a picture can say a thousand words" is completely valid.
I've always enjoyed taking pictures of my friends as my dorm room demonstrates. I would take pictures at events or just randomly whenever I had my camera. Late in high school I got the opportunity to travel to Europe a few times. In Europe I began to take scenic pictures. These scenic pictures told the story of my trips to my parents and friends when I returned. My mom has never been to Europe so instead of having to explain a building, a sunset, or a culture, I could take a picture of it and share my experience with her that way.
I still did not have a full appreciation for photography until I stumbled upon Michael Abbott's website . His website not only has pictures from trips he has taken, but it also has a "photo-a-week" section. Each week Michael would post am interesting picture online. The amazing this about this project is that the pictures are often just regular pictures, but somehow these "regular" pictures take on a new meaning when they are published here. If I were to view these pictures in the regular set with which they were taken, I doubt I would look twice at many of them, but when published alone, out of context, they become a story in themselves. My absolute favorite is simply a series of pictures taken at different times to get different lighting, but when placed in the order that Michael has put them, they become as he says "A found sundial: the view from my office window." I envy the way photographers can view the world through a lens twenty-four hours a day. I wish I were able to sum up a day, an hour, or just a beautiful moment in the same manner that, for example, Michael Abbott seems to.
Photographers are "picture-storytellers." My oldest sister got married in May of this year. The whole weekend seemed magical but so overwhelming that I was excited when the picture came back. After viewing the photo album, I got to be so much more a part of the wedding. I was able to see how the groom's party spent the morning of the wedding. I got to see the pictures taken of my sister and her husband on the beach that night when they mysteriously went missing for half and hour. Photography is a wonderful method of storytelling because it includes people that may not have been there, it allows for easy editing by removing certain photos, and with the addition of often just a few words, one or just a few photos can become equal to a three-hundred page novel.

2003-09-25T17:06:00.000-05:00

The Clean Air Campaign of Atlanta uses their website to persuade citizens of Atlanta to carpool and use public transportation to cut back on smog, pollution, and traffic. The authors of the site focus on methods to stop smog and pollution. They make suggestions and offer other methods to fix this problem. The causal argument in the site focuses mainly on traffic being the cause of pollution in the metro area.
The Campaign accepts that there are other causes of pollution and traffic has other effects than only pollution, but the focus of the site is the cause and effects of the traffic and single drivers. The site offers key benefits and other suggestions of using the other methods of transportation. The authors use statistics and numbers to back up their argument. By offering so much factual information and so many other methods and modes of transportation, the authors of the site are effective in persuading their audience.
The Campaign is a government affiliated organization which automatically builds their credibility. Between the facts and the association with the government, the site becomes an extremely reliable source of information, as well as an influential site.

2003-09-19T11:20:00.000-05:00

Narrative argument is generally effective because it evokes emotional responses from the readers. Riverbend, for example, has no hard evidence of her identity or her surroundings, but by playing with the emotions of her readers she effectively gets sympathy for herself and the Iraqi's. Through personal accounts, the blogger in Riverbend, shows outsiders another viewpoint of the war in Iraq. Although these stories might not be completely accurate or they might not be at all factual, readers often believe what they read. It is not in the human nature to doubt another's credibility especially in discussions that involves such passion and deep-set emotions; however, if Riverbend is not an Iraqi woman, what validity does anything she say have?
Her blog gives Americans insight into life inside Iraq post-wartime, but if she isn't who she says she is... Can a well-researched, well-educated person pose as an Iraqi woman and share the same stories? This is quite possible. If then Riverbend is an "imposter," does that make the sympathy and compassion I felt for the Iraqi people invalid? No, whether Riverbend is an actual Iraqi woman or just someone trying to make a point, I still feel the same emotions from blog. This makes narrative arguments effective.
Without having to create credibility, a blogger can get a point across through emotions, because emotions are emotions no matter where or who they come from.

2003-09-10T09:33:00.000-05:00

Walter Benjamin's essay "The Storyteller" is a complicated and difficult read with a very valid, but somewhat hidden point. Benjamin insists that as time passes society losses its ability to communicate face-to-face. After celebrating my grandmother's nintieth birthday over Labor Day, I believe I have a better understanding of Benjamin's point. As I sat with my cousins, whom I haven't seen or talked to since I was eight year old, we listened to my grandmother and her sister tell stories. We heard stories of their childhood, stories of their travels, and stories of our parents growing up. Maybe I've never stopped to listen, or maybe my grandmother just hasn't bothered sharing these stories before, but I felt as though I was gaining a part of her through her stories.

After reading Benjamin's essay, or what little of it I could REALLY understand, I think I had an even greater appreciation for the short time I stopped and listened to my grandmother's stories. In my fast-paced life of television, cell phones, and email, how often do I stop to talk to people? Forms of communication differ so greatly among generations. To get in touch with the same person, my grandmother might write a letter, my mom pick up the phone, and I would probably hop on the internet and send an email.

My grandfather is having his nintieth birthday party in a week and a half. I guarentee I will be the youngest one there, and I guarentee I will bombarded with stories from the many elderly people that were there. Before I may have tried to weasel my way out of listening to all the stories, but now I think I might actually listen to them. Maybe I'm just listening to prove Benjamin wrong, that the stories are still there, and we can still communicate face-to-face; we just have to stop long enough to listen.

2003-09-03T10:39:00.000-05:00

Rebecca Blood believes that blogs could become a more credible source for information if bloggers will follow guidelines to ensure the validity of their information. Blood states that "the weblog's greatest strength--its uncensored, unmediated, uncontrolled voice--is also its greatest weakness." Blogging is an effective way to reach large groups of people, but it is also easy to give this audience false or biased information. Blood's five guidelines to ethical weblogging include the following: publish factual information, link to reference material, correct misinformation, post as if the information could not be edited, and disclose conflict of interest.

It is important to only post factual information not only for credibility but also as not to misinform the vast audience that the information is available to. When a blogger finds information from another site, it is beneficial to his argument to link to it. Bloggers who link to sites with information on both sides of the argument earn more credibility because they are giving the audience the chance to know all the information and make their own decision.

Blood emphasizes that blogs should not be erased but added onto. A blog should not be posted in the beginning if the author is not confident in his information; however, if the author finds that his information is invalid, the information should be corrected through editing techniques.

Blood presents a valid argument. Blogs are readily available to anyone with an internet connection. It is unfortunate that anyone can and will blog incorrect information, but with the guidelines that Blood suggests, a blogger can establish credibility of his blog. A well-educated blog-reader will be able to distinguish who is and isn't a credible source by following Blood's guidelines.

2003-08-29T11:19:00.000-05:00

Because Rachel Lucas has discovered our assignment, I was determined to write on one of the other blogs. Honestly, I was intimidated; however, after reading her blog "Damn the Media" and getting goosebumps, I realized how perfect she was for the assignment.
Lucas, a frequent blogger, often uses her emotion more than anything to argue her point. She uses factual information through other links and statistics, but her pathos is by far her most influential tactic. Her sentence structure and diction greatly contribute to her emotion, and in this particular blog, her disgust. Fragments and short sentences like "I don't get it. I don't get it. I. Do. Not. Get. It." and harsh language like " Whatever. I'm pissed. This is bullshit." clearly emphasize her anger.
Many times anger leads to a loss of credibility when an argument becomes heated or yelling becomes involved; however, Lucas effectively uses her anger to rally support. Before reading her blog, I thought of the media coverage on 9/11 as repetitive. Frankly, I'm tired of hearing about people dying, the middle east, and George Bush. Lucas makes her point that although it may be disturbing and uncomfortable for some, coverage on 9/11 would bring back the sadness, frustration, and pride from the horrifying day.
Lucas's audience is made up of an entire nation. Not only because 9/11 is a historic event, but also because we all need to be humbled and reminded of that day. Lucas widens her audience by glorifying the good and spitefully mentioning the bad. She remembers to include those volunteers who drove across the nation to help clear away the rubbage, those who gave their blood, those who donated money, the rescuers, and the loved ones of those lost.
Lucas's most effective tool is her pathos. In talking about an emotional subject to begin with, Lucas adds her anger and frustration to arouse those feelings in her audience.

2003-08-22T09:44:00.000-05:00

Freshman year in college is supposed to be what? Fun? Overwhelming? Exciting? Intimidating? This year has already thrown all of these emotions in my direction. Georgia Tech was never my ideal school until mid-April of my senior year. I was torn between the dream, UNC Chapel Hill, and the practical choice, Georgia Tech. As my senior year wrapped up, I realized how much I would miss my family if I moved six hours away.
I have two older sisters, a younger brother, and two incredible parents. My oldest sister just got married and lives right outside of the perimeter. She went off to college when i was only eleven, so as I grew up, I felt deprived of a wonderful sister. Recently, I have come to appreciate her a million times more than I ever did. After serving as the maid of honor in her wedding, I watched her begin a new chapter in her life more envious than I thought I could be. Because she is the most wonderful person I have ever met, she is my role model, and I just didn't want to have to share her. I am confident that her husband will take care of her though, not only because he is a great man, but also because he is terrified of my father.
My other older sister is a third year at Georgia Tech. Her name is Elizabeth but I fondly call her Biz. She is my best friend in the entire world and probably fifty percent of the reason I am also a student at Tech. Because she is only two years older than me, she's more like a friend than an "older sister." In making my college decision, I factored in that if I went to school with Biz, I'd get to spend at least the next two years with my best friend, and I was sold. I am so excited about the next two years of college, not only being Biz's blood sister, but now her sorority sister as well!
My younger brother, Michael, is trouble. He is turning fifteen next week, and he's all alone with my parents. Don't get me wrong, my parents are the best, but he's always had someone else at home with him. Michael and I never got along smoothly until this summer. We still fought all the time, but I think we both realized what we'd be missing out on after I went away to school. I absolutely adore him and couldn't possibly imagine life without him.
It is hard to describe my mom. She is an angel. Never in my life have a met a person as selfless as she. Moving out was only that much harder when any mention of it made her cry. Being the only girls at home once my sisters had moved out, my mom and I formed a bond that we'd never had before. I wasn't just her "baby girl" any more. Knowing that is somewhat exciting, and horribly sad. No matter how old I become or where I go in life, I will always cling to that title.
The title "Daddy's little girl" is not even worthy of the relationship I have with my dad. Growing up, I couldn't sleep at night if my dad was out of town or if I didn't say I love you to him. I think he was worried he'd never have a son, so I became his little tomboy. I'd play any sport that "Daddy thought was cool." Growing up, my naivete allowed me to believe that my dad was indestructable. As I've grown up, I've learned that he sometimes he makes mistakes, grows weary, and needs help, but that only makes me love him even more.
Now that I've introduced my family, I think it is easy to see why I chose to come to Georgia Tech. In retrospect I don't even see how I even explored the option of UNC. I would have to be crazy to want to leave the family I love so much.