Final Blog Post 12/3/2012

For my final presentation, my idea is to make a comment on a music blog or forum specific to my instrument. Since my instrument is my profession, I need to make sure that what I say is carefully planned out so people do not see my comments and think I do not know what I am talking about. Making hasty comments could possibly alienate me from colleagues because a lot of my colleagues read blogs and forums looking for  new products and music and things like that. If they saw a stupid comment from me they could easily avoid performing with me (I know this happens because my teachers tell me about times where they avoid certain people because of their online behavior). I am open to entering an online conversation about things I am familiar with, but if I do not know 100% what I am talking about, I almost always choose to step aside and let other people argue. Knowing who can access your comments is a big part of knowing how to comment on a post because anyone can Google a name and if my name is attached to something with profanity and hasty comments, I could potentially lose students, gigs, and even grad school possibilities. My comments will be carefully crafted in order to reduce confusion and protect my interests. 

Chapter 15 11/14/2012

Reading chapter 5 has made me more aware of how presentations impact those who view it. I do not agree that a print presentation is easier or is the best way to deliver a presentation like the book says on page 467. I think that electronic presentations are more interactive and make people more involved in what is going on. When using different media, it is important to make visuals clear and easy to see/read. Otherwise, the audience does not want to pay attention or even remember the purpose of your presentation. I think our group should use mostly electronic media in our presentation with print supplements that make viewing our plans easier. My most memorable presentations incorporated Prezi, an electronic media that is similar to powerpoint, except more advanced and interactive. Making a clear and concise presentation will create the most interest and make out presentation memorable.

Analyzing Ad Analysis 10/10/2012

In the picture ad where the man's lower half is staring at the mannequin in red lingerie, the author of the analysis convinced me of his opinion on the ad. He talks about the intended and unintended messages taken away by the viewer. His last paragraph left me thinking with his sentence, "It stereotypes women as sex objects, and even stereotypes men as always desiring sex." His incorporation of his perception of the intended message was also interesting, "The intended message of the ad appears to be that if men use Axe Essence body spray, they will attract sexy women in lingerie, and will lust for those women over their ordinary girlfriends." I didn't necessarily think that same thing, but it does make sense when looking at the picture again. He incorporates the meaning of the text in with his analysis of the intended meaning and uses those words to emphasize his idea of the intended meaning. I think he thinks outside the box when asking the question; why couldn't it be the man's upper half staring at the lingerie? I did not think about this at first but it makes perfect sense now! He failed to emphasize the colors that stand out, which is really only the red lingerie to me. all the other colors are pastels so they don't really pop out of the picture like the red does. The color thing would have made his view even stronger. The author did a good job with the analysis and calling attention to things a lot of people wouldn't normally pick up on. 

Visual Argument 10/3/2012

http://www.bmwblog.com/2009/04/13/billboards-war-bmw-vs-audi/

This image is an old one, but I think it argues a clear point in a way thatis funny yet non-confrontational. This image could only be seen from certain vantage points in California when the bilboards were up, a strategic move by BMW. Obviously, the larger billboard was a comical answer to Audi's smaller one that says "Your move BMW." The creators of the larger sign want the people who view both to see that BMW has a better car than the Audi. The way they present this makes it stick in peoples' minds because it is funny. I saw this picture probably 5 years ago and this was the first thing that I thought of when I though of a visual argument.
If the text was taken away, then I don't think that it would be as lasting in peoples' minds because there really is no other humor other than the overly large size of the second billboard. To understand these visual arguments, one must be aware the Audi and BMW produce similar luxury vehicles at similar prices. This visual would not work if the companies were Honda and Ferrari, but since Audi and BMW are so similar, it works. The bigger billboard is trying to be more prominent in a funny way which leaves a lasting impression on one seeing these two advertisements. The simple word "checkmate" was chosen as a simple response to the taunting of "Your move, BMW." Any other word or phrase on the BMW billboard would not have the same effectiveness of "checkmate."
The colors are reversed for both signs (white with black, black with white) in order to create a sharp contrast between the two companies. Obviously, BMW is arguing that its car is better than the Audi which is emphasized with the color scheme, and the text. I think the BMW symbol stands out better than the Audi symbol because of the black background, so it leaves a longer impression of BMW in your mind.

Styles 9/22/2012

In my argument of definition of the idea of a "useful job," I believe I employ the middle style because I do not like being too formal, and for my definition, I think that the low style would not convey my ideas in the right sense. I think my word choice promotes the idea of seriousness rather than playfulness. I think my sentence structure is varied, but could be more varied, which I will look at when I go through my paper again. In my paragraph that looks at the opposition's views, I think I use parallelism in order to argue against their ideas. I think my rhythm could use some extra attention because my use of quotes which should aid in my definition detract from the overall feel of the essay. I do use figurative language, but I could add much more. I need to add more comparisons in order to prove why my definition is better that the one I am arguing against. 

The Offbeat Allure of Cult Films 9/17/2012

Throughout this essay, the author continuously quotes people she talked to about cult films. Mansaray uses many different cult films in order to illustrate the idea of a cult film. She also gets many quotes pertaining to each movie that emphasize why they can be considered a "cult film." I think limiting herself to only mentioning 5 cult movies aids in her definition because there is less room for any other interpretations. I don't necessarily agree with her idea that teens are the seekers of cult films, but I can see why she believes that. In my interpretation of this essay, I think she is making a case for cult films by showing who seeks them out and why they like them. I believe her overall point of this essay is to show that teens look for things that aren't mainstream, and the idea of a cult film is surging through the youth in order to find their own place in the world. Does it matter? Who is to say whether someone's writing matters or not? I'm sure there are people out there who will read this and really connect with it in some way, so yes, I would say this essay matters solely because it mattered as some point to someone.

For me, a cult film is something that is "under the Hollywood radar." I tend to gravitate toward cult films like Donnie Darko, Fight Club, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Napoleon Dynamite because I grew up watching them. I don't agree with thew author's idea of teens and cult films because teens usually only like what is new/unknown. For me, its like when you know a really obscure band and nobody else knows who they are, and then when they start catching on, you get pissed because everybody starts to like them. I don't think that teens are the ones who keep these cult films alive, its the people who have stuck with the films throughout, not the ones who jump on and off the bandwagon.

Secondary Source 9/10/2012

For my paper, I chose a topic that directly effects me and my future as a musician, the categorization of a useless job. Many people think that there are jobs that are more or less important in society. Recently, musicians have gotten the short straw when it comes to jobs and job security. With the many articles I've read and the people I have talked to, it seems to me that a lot of people think that being a professional musician is a useless job. My intended audience are people who believe that being a musician does nothing to benefit society. I chose an article from the Los Angeles times as my secondary source for thispaper. I believe that is it a credible source because large scale publications like the Los Angeles Times cannot risk a bad publication or else they face repercussions.
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/21/news/la-heb-mental-benefits-music-lessons-20120821

In this article, it is explained how music lessons at an early age help improve mental function later in life. This article is backed by evidence from the Journal of Neuroscience. I think the intended audience for this article are the people who believe that music does nothing to benefit society. The source used is very reputable and I believe anyone reading if would believe it simply because it is the Journal of Neuroscience! As a newspaper, they obviously report on other events, but arts are a very big part of the Los Angeles culture which is why I think they chose to report on something like this.

A skeptical reader might ask why the study groups were not equal in size? They might also ask what else could give a person the same outcome of increased mental capacity other than music?
What else could a skeptical reader say about this article?



Healy, Melissa. "Mental Benefits of Music Lessons Echo Years after Practice Ends." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/21/news/la-heb-mental-benefits-music-lessons-20120821>.