I found it actually very interesting how all 3 of the families seemed equally standard to me, even though the effect received by others with a different background would surely have been much different. Personally, I feel like the show did a very good job of depicting various types of modern families while comparing and contrasting them in both positive and negative lights.
I imagine that 20 or 30 years ago, a show like this might not have succeeded as well because fewer people would probably be able to relate to the scenarios described. Gay marriage, a huge age difference between husband and wife, interracial marriages, and the technology-dominated household would have been bizarre concepts to people during the '70s and '80s and even parts of the world today.
I actually can't help but wonder if this show is banned in certain places or the country/world for the same reason as books are banned: for being too accurate and unflattering on American lifestyle. For example, I could see the Mormon church taking offense to the gay parents and racist groups taking offense to the interracial one. I'm not sure who specifically would dislike the generally dysfunctional family, but I could see someone hating it.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Blog No. 6 - Commercial Analyses
I was overall very impressed with my classmates' choice of commercials and the analyses thereof. I had the impression from most of the groups that they really understood what they were talking about because their points were very easily communicated with the audience. The presentations themselves were also very good - as in clarity of speaking and presentation skills. I unfortunately had the impression that my partner and I picked the most boring text because we didn't have a laptop, and I'm sure that the class didn't like that very much, although I did personally value the experience of comparing my group's analysis of our text to the other groups' analyses of their completely different texts.
If I was to pick a favorite choice of advertisement for the assignment, I might be tempted to pick the Brittney Spears one - not because I related particularly well to the advertisement itself, as you might imagine, but because it seemed to have a very interesting balance of logos, ethos, and even pathos that I might have never noticed had the group not chosen to identify it.
The effect of the Humane Society one was great because it was essentially the epitome of pathos - a perfect example of that particular literary technique.
I also thought the Nair, Old Spice, and Pepsi commercials themselves were pretty funny, regardless of the interpretations.
And the Facebook logo was a very original choice that I was definitely very impressed by.
If I was to pick a favorite choice of advertisement for the assignment, I might be tempted to pick the Brittney Spears one - not because I related particularly well to the advertisement itself, as you might imagine, but because it seemed to have a very interesting balance of logos, ethos, and even pathos that I might have never noticed had the group not chosen to identify it.
The effect of the Humane Society one was great because it was essentially the epitome of pathos - a perfect example of that particular literary technique.
I also thought the Nair, Old Spice, and Pepsi commercials themselves were pretty funny, regardless of the interpretations.
And the Facebook logo was a very original choice that I was definitely very impressed by.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Regarding C.E.S.L. Visit
I met two very interesting people from China during our visit to the C.E.S.L. building on Wednesday. I don't remember either of their names, but I enjoyed talking to both of them about their experiences in the U.S., which were similar in certain ways, but also different in other ways. I learned that, in China, it is a requirement for students to learn English fluently before college. I also learned that there is a long and difficult test for graduating high school seniors to pass in order to be admitted into a college.
On a separate note, I was also somewhat inspired by the vibe in the classroom. It seemed as though the students were all very comfortable with one another, and (at least the two people that I talked to) enjoyed the United States more than they expected that they would before moving here. It is interesting to me to see that I have taken some things for granted, or at least never noticed them, because they have always been there; for example, according to one student I talked to, Americans are very kind and warm-hearted. This somewhat contradicts my experiences throughout my life, but it is still interesting to hear someone say it to whom this country is a new experience.
In regards to relating my experience with the reading, I found that the students I talked to were much more interested in the cultural assimilation than the girl in the reading. In the reading, she seemed kind of put off by both Mexican and American cultures, while the students who I talked to were interested (or at least didn't actively dislike) their own original culture, and were also interested the the American culture.
On a separate note, I was also somewhat inspired by the vibe in the classroom. It seemed as though the students were all very comfortable with one another, and (at least the two people that I talked to) enjoyed the United States more than they expected that they would before moving here. It is interesting to me to see that I have taken some things for granted, or at least never noticed them, because they have always been there; for example, according to one student I talked to, Americans are very kind and warm-hearted. This somewhat contradicts my experiences throughout my life, but it is still interesting to hear someone say it to whom this country is a new experience.
In regards to relating my experience with the reading, I found that the students I talked to were much more interested in the cultural assimilation than the girl in the reading. In the reading, she seemed kind of put off by both Mexican and American cultures, while the students who I talked to were interested (or at least didn't actively dislike) their own original culture, and were also interested the the American culture.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Persona Text
The text I'm thinking of using is a poem that I wrote on September 23rd, 2009 called "Scarce Harvest."
It is sort of a negative view of myself (which is representative of the time period, although unrepresentative of me generally), but it is also (in my opinion) very well written and it has a ton of aspects worth analyzing.
The poem is in first person and it describes a time in my life in which I was completely devoid of emotion (good or bad) using the extended metaphor of a farmer realizing that his/her crops (presumably) were all gone. The narrator of the poem remembers that he/she had moved his/her crops to another location and consequently lost them. After this realization, the narrator wonders if it was necessarily a bad thing that he/she had no crops left.
My poem is difficult to relate to any particular text from class because the format, purpose, and mood are all so different. Arbitrarily, I will attempt to compare it to Tapahonso's memoir, "What I Am."
Similarities between my poem and Tapahonso's memoir include: a distinct break between sections (creating a sense of time lapse), the sense of reflection upon oneself through describing events of the past, both texts are stated in a sort of matter-of-fact tone, and both allude to a bigger and implied concept.
Regarding the differences, I will start from a broad view and move in from there. First of all, my text is a poem, and so a lot of the literary and analytical devices are in a different format (for example, line breaks, rhyme, meter, and context implications). Also, my text is nearly 100% extended metaphor, while Tapahonso's is considerably more literal. The third main difference is that my poem (although abstract) stays within a single topic in a single time period and attempts to explain the main concept from the same viewpoint throughout the text.
Hopefully the poem that I intend to use will satisfy the requirements of the assignment and also of the readers, who know nothing of the context in which this poem was originally written.
It is sort of a negative view of myself (which is representative of the time period, although unrepresentative of me generally), but it is also (in my opinion) very well written and it has a ton of aspects worth analyzing.
The poem is in first person and it describes a time in my life in which I was completely devoid of emotion (good or bad) using the extended metaphor of a farmer realizing that his/her crops (presumably) were all gone. The narrator of the poem remembers that he/she had moved his/her crops to another location and consequently lost them. After this realization, the narrator wonders if it was necessarily a bad thing that he/she had no crops left.
My poem is difficult to relate to any particular text from class because the format, purpose, and mood are all so different. Arbitrarily, I will attempt to compare it to Tapahonso's memoir, "What I Am."
Similarities between my poem and Tapahonso's memoir include: a distinct break between sections (creating a sense of time lapse), the sense of reflection upon oneself through describing events of the past, both texts are stated in a sort of matter-of-fact tone, and both allude to a bigger and implied concept.
Regarding the differences, I will start from a broad view and move in from there. First of all, my text is a poem, and so a lot of the literary and analytical devices are in a different format (for example, line breaks, rhyme, meter, and context implications). Also, my text is nearly 100% extended metaphor, while Tapahonso's is considerably more literal. The third main difference is that my poem (although abstract) stays within a single topic in a single time period and attempts to explain the main concept from the same viewpoint throughout the text.
Hopefully the poem that I intend to use will satisfy the requirements of the assignment and also of the readers, who know nothing of the context in which this poem was originally written.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Next Morning, I Got a Call. (Follow Up)
In retrospect, this was a very unnerving process for me. As I was writing, I had a very difficult time trying to decide what parts of the story to leave out and what parts to include.
The complete story would have taken quite a bit longer to describe and would have probably been even more depressing (I left out the part where he tried to kill himself shortly after). I also changed some small details to make the storytelling more convenient/anonymous. I changed my friend's name, I changed his instrument (it was actually piano), and some other small things.
It is weird putting a story as deep as this one on the internet for anyone to read, but I also feel it appropriate because it includes a very poignant message about drugs. I know that a ton of students at the U of A get drunk and do drugs frequently and recreationally, and if my story can speak to even a single one of them, then I think that's enough of a reason to put this out there to be read by people who I have never even met.
Anyway, my process was careful and considered from the aim of censorship and convenience.
The complete story would have taken quite a bit longer to describe and would have probably been even more depressing (I left out the part where he tried to kill himself shortly after). I also changed some small details to make the storytelling more convenient/anonymous. I changed my friend's name, I changed his instrument (it was actually piano), and some other small things.
It is weird putting a story as deep as this one on the internet for anyone to read, but I also feel it appropriate because it includes a very poignant message about drugs. I know that a ton of students at the U of A get drunk and do drugs frequently and recreationally, and if my story can speak to even a single one of them, then I think that's enough of a reason to put this out there to be read by people who I have never even met.
Anyway, my process was careful and considered from the aim of censorship and convenience.
The Next Morning, I Got a Call.
As a bit of a background for the following story, I would first like to include a brief amount of information on myself: My experience as a musician includes a considerable amount of national travel for various events such as competitions, summer camps, lessons with faculty at other schools (mostly on the east coast), auditions, and playing chamber music concerts with other musicians nation-wide.
For several years, I have found a very strong personal connection with a violinist I met while playing chamber music at a camp in New York. His name was Dmitri and he had moved to the U.S. from Russia at age 12, graduated from high school at age 16, and gone straight to Juilliard to study violin performance with the faculty there. I instantly fell in love with his playing, and we grew very close during the 5-week music camp in Oneonta. Since the emotional finish of the camp 2 years ago, we have kept in very regular contact, occasionally meeting up to play duets or just get coffee and enjoy each others company.
An extremely sad norm at Juilliard (that I only recently discovered) is the widespread use of cocaine. Musicians at Juilliard (especially for more competitive majors such as violin and piano) are pushed so hard by themselves and their teachers to practice upwards of 18 hours a day (and often for several days without sleeping) that they find resource in drugs like cocaine and insane amounts of caffeine to keep themselves awake and focused for so many hours on end.
My friend Dmitri promised me he would not use extreme drugs, until a terrible night came for him...
The next morning, I got a call from a hospital in New York City, asking if I was Adrienne Cannon, regarding a boy who had overdosed of cocaine in his dorm room at Juilliard the night before. I was his emergency contact on his phone because his parents were in Russia and I was his closest friend.
They told me he was lucky to be alive, but that he was going to have some temporary paralysis. After a few days of intensive care, it turned out that his paralysis was permanent in his fingers and toes.
He would never be capable of playing the violin ever again.
The morning I got that phone call, my identity as a friend changed forever. I realized that life was too short and full of unexpected things to take friends for granted or underestimate how much they need you. In the months that followed, I worked with my friend to help him through an extremely tough time that I will never truly be able to understand and now he is pursuing a goal of being a conductor.
For several years, I have found a very strong personal connection with a violinist I met while playing chamber music at a camp in New York. His name was Dmitri and he had moved to the U.S. from Russia at age 12, graduated from high school at age 16, and gone straight to Juilliard to study violin performance with the faculty there. I instantly fell in love with his playing, and we grew very close during the 5-week music camp in Oneonta. Since the emotional finish of the camp 2 years ago, we have kept in very regular contact, occasionally meeting up to play duets or just get coffee and enjoy each others company.
An extremely sad norm at Juilliard (that I only recently discovered) is the widespread use of cocaine. Musicians at Juilliard (especially for more competitive majors such as violin and piano) are pushed so hard by themselves and their teachers to practice upwards of 18 hours a day (and often for several days without sleeping) that they find resource in drugs like cocaine and insane amounts of caffeine to keep themselves awake and focused for so many hours on end.
My friend Dmitri promised me he would not use extreme drugs, until a terrible night came for him...
The next morning, I got a call from a hospital in New York City, asking if I was Adrienne Cannon, regarding a boy who had overdosed of cocaine in his dorm room at Juilliard the night before. I was his emergency contact on his phone because his parents were in Russia and I was his closest friend.
They told me he was lucky to be alive, but that he was going to have some temporary paralysis. After a few days of intensive care, it turned out that his paralysis was permanent in his fingers and toes.
He would never be capable of playing the violin ever again.
The morning I got that phone call, my identity as a friend changed forever. I realized that life was too short and full of unexpected things to take friends for granted or underestimate how much they need you. In the months that followed, I worked with my friend to help him through an extremely tough time that I will never truly be able to understand and now he is pursuing a goal of being a conductor.
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