Eng. 659 – Week 9 Blog 2

The article concerning schools substituting field trips for “virtual video” trips brings up two tough questions, and each are addressed in the story. First, can a video trip supplant the real deal: crawling along the shore, touching a starfish, sand between the fingers and toes, and the moist cool ocean breeze on exposed skin? The second question seems to answer the first—should we do a virtual trip if we cannot afford to do otherwise? The answer seems to be “of course.” It’s sad that the kids can’t get to the ocean on a real fieldtrip, yet at least they’re making it by video. The “naysayers” may need to walk into the classroom and experience the video class firsthand to see if their objections are too hasty. For some of the kids’, surely this will be the closest they come to tidal pools.

However, I do believe the classes should visit places within budget and time constraints—the local park, gardens, or mountains to experience nature. Further, we're all aware that for a child, dirtying their hands and getting wet is truly a significant factor in the experience. In the end, I don’t know if watching a container of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream being eaten is fun, but I do know that taking a big honking bite of their “Crème Brulet” is awesome—and virtual can’t even compare. Yet if one can’t afford the savory stuff, virtual will have to do.

Eng. 658 – Week 9 Blog 1

Last week I stopped by my local library and picked up a copy of Benjamin’s “The Arcades Project.” Fascinated and inspired were the immediate thoughts that surged through my head. The “Arcades” Benjamin writes about are the ancestors of our modern-day strip malls, except these malls were enclosed in glass and had an ambience that absolutely smelled of Paris—and that image only comes to me through Benjamin’s photos of the shops (one can imagine the quaint feel of actually spending a day strolling the charming malls). The bourgeoisie of Paris inhabited these places; thus, they attracted a finery that was not seen out on the streets, away from the enclosed cocoon, almost controlled atmosphere in the arcades. Moreover, the flavor and taste with which Benjamin reflects upon the burgeoning industrial commerce of Paris places one amongst the splendor of the malls: the coffee roasting, baking bread, musty cigar shops, and of course fine dress shops and men’s boutiques. Benjamin interlaces his observations of the arcades with quotations from some of the brilliant artists and thinker of his day, such as Baudelaire and Gautier, and the quotes emit a feeling of being in the right place at just the right time. All in all, the work impresses and inspires, it reminds one that simple life surrounds us with myriad joys and interests—things at our fingertips when we stop to smell the fragrant roses at out side.

Eng. 609 – Week 9 Blog 2

Aristotle’s topoi of “the good” is concerned with legislative bodies and thusly with what is good in regard to the public. Looking at David Seitz’s essay “Keeping Honest” (1998), “the good” came to mind with Seitz’s documentation of teen organizations. Seitz writes that “90% of these organizations judged effective by the teens involved are not organized around ethnic interests. Rather, they are built around youth-based projects, often in team athletics or arts troupes, that develops a “core of personal efficacy achieved as a member of a close and personally collected group” (75). In other words, these teens practice what most of us have been taught, which is to look past the skin and gender to the person underneath. This is the materialization of Aristotle’s “good” for the public concern. Taking this a step further, can we adults do this in everyday discourse? Can we get rid of labels of any sort and see the person as they are? Further, do we need to label someone? It seems labeling is simply an egocentric way of differentiating one from another, but from a larger perspective, we are all connected as brothers and sisters. This concept may not be acceptable in the postmodern academic world, especially since this is a place where intellect is valued over emotion or heart; however, the teens Seitz speaks about on page 75 have mastered the ability to look past differences. Can we adults do the same?

Eng. 609 – Week 9 Blog 1

Anne Donadey and Francoise Lionnet, in “Feminisms, Genders, Sexualities” (2005), utilize Aristotle’s topoi of authorities to bring the topics to bear. The authorities are people who have had to deal with the brunt of being classed as secondary citizens in a male, white, hegemonic system and society. Therefore, the authorities I am speaking of in regard to this article are largely women and homosexuals. The authors’ use stories of women such as Gloria Anzaldua who have fought the “good ole boy” system to better their personal and political fortunes. Interestingly, the authority part comes into play as memoir writing by academics has taken foot. Donadey notes, “The current popularity of memoir writing may have been triggered by the need to ‘write with feeling’ (Kaplan 2319) in an academic world that still tends to reject the possible contribution of emotions to knowledge. Thankfully, these women have broken across borders to tell their stories, and they are authorities in climbing over and breaking down walls. A nice consequence of their work is the author’s observation that the “well-established” division between literary criticism and creative writing in English departments is becoming more porous” (230).

Eng. 658 – Week 8 Blog 2

Typography, huh… who’d have thought it could be so important to composition and design, and that a group of individuals passionately pursue new designs and re-imaginings of older one for the benefit of end-users. The essays in VRDW opened my eyes to elements of visual design that I had not pondered before, namely the impact certain typefaces have on a reader. As I read the essays, I realized I pay attention when making business cards or flyers, yet as I compose essays, I stick to Times New Roman without a second thought. In prior classes, I remember instructors telling students to stick with Times or something like it; however, I wonder about the advantages or disadvantages of experimenting with other typefaces? Could one select a typeface that fits the mood of a particular piece and have the typeface convey the underlying mood more poignantly? My initial thought would be yes, although we run the risk of alienating the reader if they are not open to new design elements. In class last week, a couple students noted that Sirc’s essay had the text set up in unusual designs that supported the thoughts he was conveying. Some students liked Sirc’s designs while others did not. So do we experiment or not? I think this last assignment offers an opportunity to do just that, to throw a mud-ball at the wall and see what sticks.

Eng. 658 – Week 8 Blog 1

Richard Buchanan offers information in his "Design" essay that I had not pondered before. Up until now, I've thought of design as something we feel, something we do, something we learn as we go along--and some of us have this as a natural ability, and some of us don't. However, I see Buchanan's point that it should be possible to create a theory that explains how to go about designing a "thing" for any given purpose. But is it feasible to think we can distill art and inspiration into a step-by-step procedure?...

Richard Buchanan, in “Rhetoric, Humanism, and Design” (1995), asserts that design theory needs a re-thinking and a new conception of the discipline which incorporates a humanistic element along with the recognition of the inherent rhetorical nature of design thinking (228). Buchanan states, “The exploration of design is therefore, a contribution to the philosophy of culture in our time” (252), and he supports this view with a strong and extensive background view of design, its inherent rhetorical purposes, its uses in commerce and art, and its beginning in Aristotle’s day through to the industrial revolution and on into today’s post-modern world. Buchanan’s intent is to call for the creation of a concrete theory of design that can be utilized to put design theory into practice for lay persons and professionals. Buchanan’s fervent argument interests his audience of graduate students, scholars, artists, and instructors who are interested in the implications of design upon society.

Eng. 609 - Week 8 Blog 2

Kenneth W. Warren's "Race and Ethnicity” incorporates the topoi of past fact/future fact in an effort to help us see the past can enlighten us to our ancestors mistakes in regards to racial issues. His essay’s focus on thinkers like W. E. DuBois helps the essay read like an overall history of racial theorems and acts that defined our current state. Further, his reflections of the African diaspora and subsequent injustices are not a plea for handouts. Warren makes a strong argument that we must approach literature without rosy colored lenses where we view racism as some left-wing agenda to incite us. Instead, he argues the future can only be altered and changed when we look at our motives and then change them to honor everyone as equal…

Kenneth W. Warren, in “Race and Ethnicity” (2005) argues that although understanding race as an ideology and a discourse helps us to better comprehend our social, literary history, and texts that make up our literary history, that same knowledge should not be expected to give us tools to fix the current racial inequalities in America (258). Warren supports his argument by offering an insightful history of thinkers and acts, as well as psychological positions that have created a world rife with racism. Warren’s intent is to make the reader aware of the folly of relying on past understanding to fix the current racial tension in our world. Warren creates a formal relationship with his audience of graduate students, scholars, and instructors who are interested in racial theory

Eng. 609 – Week 8 Blog 1

Aristotle’s topoi of “definition” relates to Susan Stanford Friedman’s essay and its map of cultural and literature studies by defining this exciting “new” field. Friedmann’s essay and its extensive description piqued my interest. Friedmann quotes many authors unfamiliar to me, yet the quotes felt familiar because they were impassioned words that arose from the writers’ hearts. I imagine all of us have been part of a diaspora of sorts–maybe for some the simple expulsion from their parents secure borderlands, while others have endured fates similar to those we read about in Friedmann’s essay. Either way, our collective human experience is wrapped up in these persecuted writers’ works; further, it’s comforting to know there is a field growing whose intent it is to bring these voices to the world…

Susan Stanford Friedmann, in “Migrations, Diasporas, and Borders” (2005), offers a wide and comprehensive map of literature and cultural studies in regards to history, geography, and language. Friedmann builds her chart of literature and cultural theory by focusing on human migrations, diasporas, and physical and metaphorical borders that she believes have suffused into a new field of literature studies. Friedmann’s intent is to add and lay groundwork for future research into the relatively new field of study. Friedmann creates an informal relationship with her audience of graduate students, instructors and scholars who are interested in understanding the expanding world of English studies and its ever-growing borders.

Eng. 658 - Week 7 Blog 2

The Arcade and CARP articles set my mind in motion—I’d just like to lay down a couple thoughts…

On the first day of Eng. 658, Professor Rhodes gave an outline of the mid-term and final visual projects. At the time, my limbs and gut stiffened reflexively from the fear of engaging something completely new. However, Rhodes then said we should feel nervous when approaching a new arena of work, for if we never do, we never learn. I kept this idea in mind as I approached the mid-term, practicing calming myself through a well-timed deep breath here and there when overwhelm crept in and sat beside me.

…When the mid-term passed and the final project sauntered in the room, it smirked at me—right away I forgot Rhodes’ prior words. Then that bloated figure named overwhelm came to sit on my lap—until I read the CARP and Arcade articles. Sighing, I sucked in a deep breath again…

So now I sense an opportunity to create something fun and visual, and a chance to relate it to my scholarly work. I don’t presume to make this a masterpiece, just an experiment with working in a new format. Over the past couple of years, I’ve tried to take this tact—instead of approaching a project with the old mindset that they have to be great, my focus now is to learn what I can in the process. It takes repetition, though. But no problem, there, huh. We're in the master’s program, and there’s plenty of opportunities to practice new stuff!

Eng. 658 – Week 7 Blog 1

Geoffrey Sirc, in his article, “box-logic,” brings up so many ideas and questions. His ability to walk between traditionalism and the new digital wave is admirable. Never does one feel he steps too far one way or the other, as we see many who support or don’t support the digital era. On a visual note, even the text layout of his article is unique, it is avant garde at times when he is introducing the artists who influenced him (texts boxes spread across pages, cubist boxes straddled next to each other), but then he falls back into traditional layout when he speaks of bringing his different views into the composition classroom. This tells me he understand he cannot change the system without entering the discourse in a way that will not alienate the reader who doesn’t share his non-traditional mindset.

As for his assignments, they are again unique in that they blend visual elements with traditional prose essays. Personally, I welcome this kind of pedagogy—I think today’s’ student can be encouraged to accept and engage academia when they realize academia accepts and engages them.

Eng. 609 – Week 7 Blog 2

Witnesses… this is one of Aristotle’s topoi. I’ll address it after my précis of Jerome McGann’s essay on interpreting texts.

Jerome McGann, in “Interpretation” (2005), lays out a how-to guide for up-and-coming scholars for discerning texts and documents. McGann supports his endeavor by illustrating how one goes about conducting performative interpretation and scholarly interpretation, an act he likens to “finding flesh and blood” (161). McGann’s purpose is to help his reader understand how to read a text with a more critical eye, searching for nuances that bare truths about the text and ourselves. He creates a trusting relationship with his audience of graduate students, instructors, and scholars, who are interest in and need interpretive tools to broaden their critical abilities.

So if McGann is calling for us to develop more nuanced and critical eyes, then he is asking us to witness many things an author is attempting—theme, political convictions, persuasions, morals, monetary issues, ideological issues, etc. (just to name a truly small few). In other words, we are witnesses to an author’s argument, story, poem, film, speech, etc. As witnesses, do we have a responsibility to stand up and testify to what we have observed?

Eng. 609 – Week 7 Blog 1

Jean Franco, in “Cultural Studies” (2005), offers a fascinating overview of cultural studies and its place and impact upon globalization as well as the history of cultural studies and its births in Britain, America, and Latin America. Also, if one analyzes this essay with the topoi of “contraries,” we see a contradiction between English Studies and Cultural Studies. Composition and rhetoric sometimes excludes other fields because its status seems tremulous at times—and justifiably so, with budget cuts, etc. On the other hand, cultural studies embraces other fields because it needs them to grow, create its foundation, and continue to offer items for theorization. In the end, neither way is wrong, although I do feel composition would benefit from bringing other fields input into our trajectory.

Back to Franco… he supports his narrative with cultural theorists like Antonio Gramsci (prominent theorist of hegemonic influences on society) who helped created the field and its current contemporary position and place of growing prominence. His purpose is to give his readers an overview of cultural studies and its cross-bordering influence on English studies, academia, and society at large. Franco creates an informal relationship with his audience of graduate students, instructors, and scholars.

Eng. 609 - Week 6 Blog 3

Professor Pilinovsky's lecture on translations touched on a question that has fascinated me--does a translator have a right to change an author's original text? Professor Rhodes and Pilinovsky subsequently engaged this question, yet I found myself really wondering whose right it is to change an author's material. I realize we have to take into account the era in which a text is translated, but as the "holy kiss"' to a "hearty handshake" points out, a translator has a large responsibility with their translation--whether it takes away, leaves as is, or adds to the original text. Personally, I would rather see a text be translated as is and let me do the discerning. My assertion may be wrong, for as Pilinovsky points out, Shakespeare doesn't translate well into Russian because the two languages just just don't share similar eloquences. Still, I'm going to side with the traditionalists--please let the work stand as is.

Eng. 658 – Week 6 Blog 2

McCloud’s terrific comic stands out as a groundbreaking piece of theoretical imagery. His assumption and theory that we connect with cartoon characters because we can see ourselves in them versus life-like images within whom we cannot view ourselves seems revolutionary. To date, I have not heard of, although it may exist, a similar theory into this element of our psyche…

Scott McCloud, in “The Vocabulary of Comics” (1994), asserts the new historicist notion that if “who I am matters less, maybe what I say will matter more” (208). McCloud brilliantly supports his claim through an excellent and fascinating comic strip that utilizes McCloud himself as a cartoon character exploring the rhetorical discourse and rhetorical ramifications visual icons and cartoon characters have on their audiences. McCloud’s purpose is to educate his audience concerning the influence of rhetorical visual imagery and rhetorical writing in order to make his audience more critical thinkers. McCloud successfully connects with his audience of graduate students and scholars interested in the rhetorical uses of visual imagery.

Eng. 658 – Week 6 Blog 1

Ehses’ handling of the posters associated with Macbeth creatively lays a foundation for artists and visual designers of all types to study rhetoric and its influence on visual design in and out of the classroom...

Hanno H.J. Ehses, in “Representing Macbeth: A Case Study in Visual Rhetoric” (1989), suggests that “The creative process of finding appropriate design solutions to visual problems would become more accessible and more probable, and could be enriched if designers were more conscious of the underlying system of concept formation” (164). Ehses supports her claim by arguing that rhetoric is the “underlying system of concept formation,” and she bolsters her declaration through examining the principles of rhetoric as they pertain to images (i.e. metaphor, metonymy, personification, synecdoche, irony, etc.). Ehses’ intent is to inform readers of the value of understanding rhetoric in order to create images with more visual impact as well as to argue that visual design and rhetoric go hand-in-hand. Ehses establishes a trusting relationship with her audience of graduate students, instructors, and scholars through her clear mastery of rhetorical practices and by using Macbeth posters that clearly show design elements of visual rhetoric.

Eng. 609 – Week 6 Blog 2

Mann’s library research guidebook sets a well-needed foundation for me in regards to becoming a professional scholar, researcher, and instructor. As I read these chapters, I find myself repeatedly grateful to him for the tips and stones he over-turns.

Thomas Mann, in chapter five of The Oxford Guide to Library Research (2005), suggests that an important distinction exists between amateur and professional researchers: when one has reached the point of truly digesting the material in his book and looks beyond the easy convenience of online resources without having to be prodded by a librarian, then they will have ascended into the realm of professionalism (108). Mann supports his idea not by deriding researchers who haven’t yet ventured beyond the “easy” net, but instead offers a micro-education into keyword and controlled vocabulary searching for the reason that he realizes these same researchers simply have not yet been introduced to these advanced techniques. Mann’s intent with this chapter is to support “new” researchers and scholars in their endeavor to move past simple and amateurish Internet keyword searching and into professional in-depth scholarly research. Mann certainly establishes a rapport with his audience of graduate students who need his tutelage and who are interested in becoming professional scholars and instructors.

Eng. 609 Week 6 - Blog 1

Venuti’s translation studies explication is my first introduction to the topic. I found the subject fascinating. Venuti claims translation studies is void of composition studies in-house fighting? I wonder if the cause is related to the number of translation scholars and instructors versus the number of composition scholars and instructors? In other words, the bigger a system grows (comp. is comparatively huge), the more difficult to find consensus and balance…

Lawrence Venuti, in “Translation Studies” (2005), asserts that text translation is affected by three main categories or theoretical perspectives: equivalence and shifts (meaning changes in textual denotation and connotation), cultural systems and norms (the cultures texts are translated from and into), and ethics and politics (just how much should be shifted, if any, for a particular cultures’ sensibilities?). Venuti supports his thesis with examples of each category and the prominent writer or theoretician responsible for the theories underpinnings. Venuti’s intention is to formulate an explication of the current state of translational studies. Venuti accomplishes his goal and creates a trusting relationship with his audience of graduate students immersed in English studies through his obvious mastery of the subject.