Assignment 11

Is the composer respectful of the audience, treating them as intelligent, thoughtful people?

         Yes. I feel that Stein is expecting that those reading her article are intelligent. Stein uses very extensive vocabulary that takes time and patience to understand at points. Also the ideas that Stein uses to explain the ad are very intelligent concepts. For example constitutive rhetoric, it is the idea that ads tell the viewer what they think and believe.

What does the composer assume the audience knows or believes?

         Stein assumes that readers do not know about the commercial and that they have never seen the commercial. She includes a very detailed synopsis of the commercial. This allows the reader to know what happens in the commercial even if they cannot view the commercial.

Are the emotional appeals appropriate to the issue?

          Yes. This is not an issue that people would normally get overtly emotional about. Stein approaches the topic in a professional way. She does not pour in emotion or freak out over how Mac went about their ad, instead she discusses it in an intellectual way.

[Group Work] Reflection

          I felt that my group worked well together. We all shared ideas and listened to each other. We were able to extrapolate and get link ideas together and form new ones. To me it was not hard to work with other people's ideas. It made me open my eyes and see that the way I see things is not the only possibility. When I think about how others may interpret things it expands my ideas and reminds me to not be rude in my writing. But instead I should be respectful to any interpretation. 

         I liked the conclusion one-pager. It wrapped up the ideas that were left behind by Stein. Once you have read the article the reader does feel like Mac was the way to go because it broke the monotony of IBM's Big Brother status. But the constitutive rhetoric that was used brainwashed people into believeing IBM was bad and that Mac was good. I do not know what Stein's view on the commercial or situation is. This group worked with my groups ideas, analysis, because in order to pick the conclusion apart you had to understand how Stein picked apart the article.

       The introduction one-pager was different because it lays down the path for the analysis of the ad that Stein will be doing.I do not see a question to answer on their one-pager. The intro laid the groundwork for the analysis section. She says that she is writing this article because the ad has not been subjected to extensive critical examination. All of the one-pagers make me think about the importance of the sections Stein breaks her article into.

CP I feel that Stein was detailed in her description of the ad because readers had no other source to view that ad.

Assignment 10

Why did Stein decide to write about this commercial? 

Why did Stein go so in depth when describing the commercial?

         In the 1984 superbowl Macintosh computers ran an ad at halftime. The ad was made to put down IBM computers and promote Mac computers. IBM was viewed as big brother in George Orwell's 1984. There is a woman who runs through a building and smashes an IBM computer symbolizing the downfall of IBM and rise of Mac. The rest of Stein's article dicusses the layers of symbolism that are in the commercial.

          I feel that Stein wrote this article to show how persuasive advertisement can be. The ad used constitutive rhetoric which does not give the reader an option over what they feel or believe but instead told them what they believed. After reading her article I realized that large corporations use advertisement in order to manipulate the way that consumers think and push them to purchase their products. I think Stein wanted people to know this so that they would not fall prey to large corporation advertisement. I feel this way because Stein stressed the use of constitutive rhetoric in the commercial which made viewers feel that they should desert IBM and resort to the new Macintosh products instead. While doing this Mac stepped right into IBM's shoes and became the monopoly for computers.

Assignment 9

       While working on my articles I am trying to connect to other readers of the same article. I am discussing my ideas as a new view for others to consider as they are looking for their own interpretation. I am using Orlean's writing and ideas about taxidermy and adding in my own thoughts and interpretations on her ideas to form explanations for her writerly choices. To me the ethical dimension of communication is the way one communicates their ideas and thought on an issue or object to others. My writing does not say that my ideas are right or wrong to any degree. It just offers possible ideas about Orlean's article, "Lifelike".  When I revise my essays I will try to make sure that is it interesting and will catch the attention of the reader. I want my essay to make the reader think about their own ideas and compare them to what I am writing.

Assignment 8

      I liked the different views and ideas I saw in other people's writing. It is neat to realize how many interpretations there are on one article and how many interpretations there are. I know that everyone has their own outlook on life and own way of interpreting things. I think that their own life experiences and outlooks shaped their interpretations. I plan to look at the articles and make interpretations with a more open mind. 

      I never really considered who my audience was when I was writing my assignments. In my article for "Lifelike" I will focus my writing more to be set for the portfolio readers who will be grading my work. My tone seems like it is critical and dissecting the article and the ideas that I have. My classmates have similar tones that are picking apart the things they found throughout the article.In my essay I offer views that show both sides of the situation. I feel that this offers a unique insight that shows how there are many possible interpretations for any type of article.

Assignment 7

Why does Orlean say you have to have many skills and be a nerd to be into taxidermy but then follow up with how one must be full of love and eccentric as well?

What is the use of the historic background Orlean includes?

        Orlean starts out by describing the types of skills one needs to be a taxidermist, "To be good at taxidermy, you have to be good at sewing, sculpting, painting, and hairdressing, and mostly you have to be a little bit of a zoology nerd." She purposely talks about how intelligent and talented those who are involved with taxidermy are but then follows up and almost discredits that. "You have to love animals...Taxidermists seem to make little distinction between loving animals that are alive and loving ones that are not. "I love deer," one of the champions in the whitetail division said to me. "They're my babies." Doing this took the taxidermist from a smart individual to a weirdo who loves stuffed animals.

         Looking at it from another perspective Orlean may have done this to show the multiple sides of a taxidermist. One view shows how smart and how much a taxidermist must learn in order to do their job. The other view shows that those involved with taxidermy are very passionate and care about the animals that they work with and that they care about animals in general. Also the history make the reader take taxidermist seriously. It causes the reader to realize that taxidermy has an extensive past and is not just some new fangled hobby that a weirdo came up with.

Assignment 6: Choices

      I feel that Orlean gave an extensive history abut taxidermy so that her readers would know that she did her research and that she was well informed. The history really helped me as a reader to understand what taxidermy was and how it has grown. I also did not know how large of a business taxidermy was, it generates $500 million a year. As a reader if seeing the history made me really think that Orlean cared and wanted to share what she was experiencing.

      Orlean included quotes from people who were involved in the national taxidermy convention. Being informed that people who are involved with taxidermy opened my eyes to how broad the passion of taxidermy is spread. It makes the reader realize that those who are into taxidermy are not freaks or cruel people. The quotes allow the reader to to relate to those involved with taxidermy. People who are involved with taxidermy are everyday people.

      In the last paragraph Orlean talks about a stillborn bengal tiger. She describes how the tiger was not able to live but the taxidermic display brought the tiger to life. This allows the reader to see how people involved in taxidermy love and respect animals. Many involved want to help preserve the animals that we have lost or are close to losing. The practice of taxidermy allows for the preservation of lost animals.

Assignment 6

      Orlean seems like she is trying to get the reader to open their eyes to taxidermy. She seems to be a decent narrator because she actually attended the convention that she talks about, she didn't just read about it online. She builds her ethos with the extensive history she provides about taxidermy. "
Taxidermy, the three-dimensional representation of animals for permanent display, has been around since the eighteenth century, but it was first brought into popular regard by the Victorians, who thrilled to all tokens of exotic travel and especially to any domesticated representations of wilderness -- the glassed-in miniature rain forest on the tea table, the mounted antelope by the front door. The original taxidermists were upholsterers who tanned the hides of hunting trophies and then plumped them up with rags and cotton, so that they reassumed their original shape and size; those early poses were stiff and simple, and the expressions fairly expressionless. The practice grew popular in this country, too: by 1882, there was a Society of American Taxidermists, which held annual meetings and published scholarly reports, especially on the matter of preparing animals for museum display." Reading this made me feel like Orlean had done her research and knew what she was talking about.

      The only part of her article that was questionable to me was all of the quotes that she used.
"I am in need of several pair of frozen goat feet!"
"Hi! I have up to 300 sets of goat feet and up to 1000 set of sheep feet per month. Drop me an email at frozencritters.com ....or give me a call and we can discuss your needs."
"I have a very nice small raccoon that is frozen whole. I forgot he was in the freezer. Without taking exact measurements I would guess he is about twelve inches or so -- very cute little one. Will make a very nice mount."
"Can I rinse a boar hide good and freeze it?"
"Bob, if it's salted, don't worry about it!"
"Can someone please tell me the proper way to preserve turkey legs and spurs? Thanks!"
"Brian, I inject the feet with PreservzIt ....Enjoy!"
 While I am sure she heard people talking I cannot help but wonder if these quotes are verbatim or what she remembered or wanted the reader to hear. Or did she tape record everything that was said? Did they give permission to be quoted? Did the people she used quotes from know their words would be published?

     I still feel that Orlean wants her readers to be more open to what people are interested in and do in their leisure time. She tries to get the reader to know that taxidermy is not killing and harming animals but preserving animals. "I like doing recreations of these endangered animals and extinct animals, since that's the only way anyone's going to have one" We wouldn't have dinosaurs in museums and other animals if it weren't for taxidermists doing their passion.

      I feel that Orlean put her article in a journal to just put the information out their for people to have. They would be able to just learn a lot from reading the article. She may have avoided publishing the story in a major place because it is a controversial topic that people may disagree over.

Assignment 5

       Orlean's topic is to inform people about her trip to a national taxidermy. In contrast he purpose is to inform people about what taxidermy actually is ad to help remove the negative stigma that surrounds taxidermy. "Otherwise, the room was Biblically tranquil, the lion at last lying down with the Corsican lamb, the family of jackdaws in everlasting, unrequited pursuit of a big green beetle, and the stillborn Bengal-tiger cub magically revived, its face in an eternal snarl, alive-looking although it had never lived." This quotes really made me think about how taxidermy can bring organisms to life even when they had passed.

       I think that Orlean wanted those who were reading her article to begin to view taxidermy as a socially acceptable practice and not some taboo hobby for creeps. "So who wants to be a taxidermist? "I was a meat cutter for fifteen years," a taxidermist from Kentucky said to me. "That whole time, no one ever said to me,'Boy, that was a wonderful steak you cut me.' Now I get told all the time what a great job I've done." Even regular people who have other jobs can be into taxidermy and do remarkable work with animals. I think that Orlean wanted people to know that taxidermy can be anyone's passion.

       Reading "Lifelike" opened my eyes to the world of taxidermy. I always thought of taxidermy as people going out, killing animals, and seeing them as trophies, so they would stuff them. Reading this I now realize that taxidermy is about preserving and respecting animals. I think that Orlean wanted to take the negative stigma away from taxidermy and make it a less creepy subject for people.

1- Is Orlean a closet taxidermist? Is someone she is close with into taxidermy and ostracized?
2- Would people who love animals be more open to taxidermy after reading this article?

Sedaris CP

I feel that Sedaris pointed out the judgments that people make about others in order to show that we often make uncalled for judgments because he wants people to change and be more accepting of one another.

Assignment 4: Choices

            I feel that Sedaris wrote this article at a pinnacle point in time to show us that despite major changes that are being accepted we still cut down the little things. It pulls on the major changes that were going on. An African American man was in the white house as president, gays could be open in the military, states had begun to pass laws allowing gay marriage.  All of these major controversial issues are ongoing yet people still find it necessary to judge people on pointless qualities such as, their clothes, hair style, decision to have children. I think Sedaris wanted the reader to realize there are more important things in the world than being concerned with someone's clothing choice.

           Throughout Sedaris' paper he has jokes hidden between the lines. This gives the reader something to snicker at and to focus on while reading the paper. I know that while I was reading this article I like the sarcastic little jokes that were sprinkled in. It made me want to keep going as I was reading the article. I think that he did this to give his article comedic relief. Talking about how rudely people treat others can be a depressing topic but by adding in jokes Sedaris makes it serious but without the weight.

            I feel that Sedaris purposely put his article into a magazine to broaden his audience. Working in a grocery store every other person is tossing a magazine (or three) into their cart. The tpe of person varies from little old grandma to a 12 year old sneaking one in. When Sedaris decided to put his article in a magazine he knew that it would reach a larger group of people than if he just stuck it on a hidden internet blog. This allowed Sedaris to reach more people.

Assignment 4

          I feel that Sedaris may have written this article to express to people that how they act is grotesque. People generally judge one another at face value without even trying to get to know them.

          Obama was elected as president right before this article was written, gay rights was and still is an ongoing and controversial issue, teenage pregnancy is an ever going battle between morals and mistakes. During this article Sedaris hits on some of these topics. I feel that he did this to make the reader think about how they look at other people and judge them on such moot things. He wants the readers to actually look at the person. Not the color of their skin, what they wear, who they voted for, or what God they pray (or don't) to.

         The airport is a very diverse place to be with all kinds of people coming and going. I feel that may have been Sedaris' reasoning behind writing the article at an airport. In the article some men are discussing their own views and their distaste for the new president. Sedaris sits quietly and listens. This gives readers an example of how people can be judged based on their political views. He also draws the comparison between the "well-dressed" grandmother and her grandchildren versus the teenaged parents, the father having obscenities on his shirt really stands out.

         A diverse group of people read magazines. By publishing it in a magazine Sedaris would probably have had the ability to reach more people than just putting it online. He also wrote his article for The New Yorker, which is online and in paper print. Not to mention a highly respected magazine. So I think that Sedaris chose a magazine that puts its articles online as well so that he could reach as many people as possible. People in college tend to read magazines a lot as well. This could have been another strategy for Sedaris. College students like to learn about the world and are highly impressionable. By reaching out to them people could change a lot of things. I know that this article spoke to me and really reinforced my thoughts about not judging a book by its cover.

Assignment 3

I feel that Sedaris wrote this article to poke fun at how judgmental people are. People constantly are mean and talk about others based on their clothes or hair. A strangers clothes or hair is not going to affect another person in any way yet it seems like a necessity to point out someone who differs from ourselves. For example when people get angry at weather conditions that create delays they take it out on employees who have no control over the situation.

 I think Sedaris wanted readers to think about how they look at and treat others. Realizing how he emphasizes the judgments the people around him make and how he does as well makes me think that. I know there have been times that I get mad at a situation and will take it out on a person who has no control over the problem. I know that I have seen others do the same thing to people and have had it done to me at my job as a customer service representative.

I think Sedaris wanted people to feel weird and guilty while reading his article. It makes you look at how you treat people and feel bad about some of the choices you may have made. I think he wants people to change how they treat others and be more nice. It made me think about my actions more.

Is Mr. Mustache the same person as Adolf Hitler?

Why did he make that comparison?

Standing By

David Sedaris’ “Standing By” on pages 275-277 in the First Year Composition Reader. 

In David Sedaris' "Standing By", Sedaris gives an account of his experience in an airport. It is a comedic article based on how we judge each other on appearances. Sedaris observes the people around him. In front of him there is a family with teen parents, behind a couple of males complaining about the wait in line and how they feel Barack Obama has ruined the country.  Next his attention turns to an elderly woman with her two grandchildren. They are both dress pristine and appear to be better than the teen parents dressed in clothes with obscenities and greasy dredlocks. After drifting off and taking a nap, Sedaris wakes up and is in an irritable mood. He complains along with all of the other customers who are angry about the delays and oversold flights. Soon there is an announcement over the loud speakers asking for a "Mr. Adolf Hitler". Sedaris cannot help but wonder why on earth someone would name their child or keep the name of Hitler. Trying to ignore it her cannot help but hear it once again over the speakers.