Category Archives: RCL

The Most Interesting Man

Throughout my entire freshman year, one teacher has continuously entertained and taught me so much about not only math, but also life. My Honors Math 140 professor, Adrian, has somehow managed to combine not only rhetoric with his teaching skills, but also uses a little bit of the TED genre as well. This guy knows how to work a room. Whether it be his humor, witty teaching style, or his singing ability, Adrian grabs the attention of his class everyday and never lets go. Now obviously the most important job of a teacher is to teach and he does this so well. I have learned a world beyond math when sitting in his class and he is able to keep us interested even when the topic may get to complciated for a freshman student. This guy is a genious and whether it is his credentials, or ability to derive almost anything, no one ever questions his credibility. On top of that, he teaches with a passion. This guy loves to teach and he shows it. The man even brings in food for his class that is home cooked by his wife.

Perhaps what exemplifies a good teacher is that not only do they make their students grow, but also teach them beyond the classroom. He teaches in a way unlike any other teacher I have ever had or probably will have. Like we learned form the TED genre, he seizes the room and never lets go. This is the most important aspect of teaching because if you can make your class interested then you can make them learn. As I go through college I can only hope for more teachers like this who not only challenge theirs students, but reward them for their success.

Titicut Follies

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I am pretty sure that by just viewing the title of this blog post, nobody could foresee what this documentary could be about. Titicut Follies is a documentary directed by Frederick Wiseman and exposes the awful treatment of mental patients in mental hospitals. It is grueling, terrifying, and informative. This documentary was so controversial that it was even banned from tv screens in several states. Massachusetts only allowed the film to be viewed by people in the related field of psychology or psychiatry. So what did this film do so well that has put it on many lists as one of the best documentaries ever filmed?

The first and most striking aspect of this documentary is that it is all real live footage. There was no censoring and Wiseman made sure that all viewers saw the horrors in real time. Yes, it may have been too much for some, but force feeding the public truthful information was necessary and Wiseman realized that. The narration throughout the documentary is also quite interesting. While being exposed to these horrid images, the narrator remains calm and almost contradicts the images on screen. This is not a bad thing. This makes the shocked audience realize that what they are seeing is true and although it is gruesome, it is something they need to take notice of. The narrator does a great job in keeping a calm mood to keep the audience calm themselves while viewing this documentary.

Perhaps what this film does best is that it gets its point across but understands its audience as well. Yes, the images may be a turn off for some, but it is countered with a great narrator who reminds the audience that what they are seeing is real and needs to be taken into account. This no holds bar documentary opened so many people’s eyes and started a push for patient rights in the late 1960’s to early 1970′ and it did it the way it needed to be done.

The link has images and video from the documentary.

Making the Transition

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This is the first time I can honestly say that I have ever had to convert a research paper into a speech, let alone a TED talk. With less then a week to prepare I knew I had to be very good manging my time in preparation. The problem that I faced was that I felt that my paper by itself was weak, so I decided to redue major portions of my thesis and almost create a new argument. I did not define media and technology very clearly in the paper and I made sure to do this in my speech so my audience would not be confused. I also decided to switch the viewpoint I wanted to express to something that could apply to a bigger audience. I felt the transition was successful. In preparing for a TED talk, I did not do much differant then if it was a regular speech. I prepared in a leture hall, but obtained a clicker to switch slides while speaking. This proved extermely helpful because it basically functioned like the TED talk rooms. The TED talk was actually fun as it allowed the speaker to get creative and be able to gain the audience’s attention more easily through the use of technology. It was nerve wracking at first, but who would not be nervous with Kyle glaring you down……

Overall it was a great experience and TED talks are definitely the future of public speaking. Whether its through pictures, videos, or even your own props, the ability to attract attention should not be missed. As speakers, the number one goal is to draw an audience in. Once you have your audience at attention, then you can make your point. There is no easier way to do this then by a TED talk. I encourage anyone to watch one if you have not. You will be surprised by how effective and entertaing they can be.

TED Talk

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TED talks have been something that I have known about for a while and I have watched quite a few of them in my free time. When I found it we were going to have to give one, I thought that it was a great opportunity to take part in a new social media craze. After preparing my speech and prepping for my talk, I discovered that it is much different than an ordinary speech. Now one not only has the opportunity to get their point across through speech but also with technology. I believe this makes it easier for your audience to understand your point and what you are trying to emphasize. Pereparing for my TED talk made me reailze that the visuals may actually play a more important role then my speech itself in some instances. Every speech has its sticking points and lulls. I feel that these visuals give more energy and provide a better oppertunity to prevent my audience from losing focus on what I am trying to tell them. Visuals became key for me and for my speech. As interesting as my topic may be, I have the ability to now further emphasize my paradigm shift with facts and visuals to engage and engross my audience. The visual selection was very tedious, but it was well worth the effort. So was the practice.

Response to a Proposed Paradigm Shift

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The article, “From Hogwarts to Harvard” is quite an interesting and entertaining take on today’s culture. However it should only be viewed as a piece of entertainment and nothing else. This theme of childhood despair and lack of adult mentors is a popular and successful movie theme but it in no way is representative of our world. Movies such as Harry Potter and The Hunger Games are set in fictional world’s and their movie’s plot lines feed off this one person vs the world theme. We need to remember that on top of these movie’s not even being close to reality, they are also engineered to capture the attention of the youth and if anything inspire. The main theme in movies like LOTR and Harry Potter is Good vs Evil. These are themes that have been around forever and definitely outrump any theme of hopelessness.

This author tries to compare some cheating scandal at Harvard to an entire culture and does not do it quite well. Ivy league schools are a very small number in college student population and on top of that we are only talking about Harvard. The environment students are in at Ivy League schools cannot be compared to the common student. On top of this, our author never actually uses any statistics or facts to establish her credentials. This is a personal belief post not a factual based argument She attempts to appeal to a younger generation more then an older audience and this make sense because that is who the article is about. However, these movies are popular works of art and are more viewed as entertainment then as any actual view of society. They entertain all ages not just the youth. If they reflected teenagers beliefs today, our author would have posted statistics on movie attendance for teens being up and adults down for movies like the ones she listed. Overall, she may give an example here and there about movies these days not containing mentors, but there are plenty of other movies she omitted like Pursuit of Happiness and the New Karate Kid movie that contradict her views.

The Ballot or the Bullet

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Malcolm X is undoubtedly one of the most prominent spokesmen of the Civil Rights era. His tactics, although controversial, have motivated millions to fight for their rights. His speech, The Ballot or the Bullet, is directed at African Americans and encourages them to stand up for their rights and vote. He then goes on to state that if this is not enough they may have to resort to violence.

He uses rhetoric early on in an attempt to unite all African Americans. He states, “Whether you’re educated or illiterate,
whether you live on the boulevard or in the alley, you’re going to catch hell just like I am. We’re all in the same boat and we all are going to catch the same hell from the same man.” This is an emotional appeal that aims to unite people on one common ground and make them forget about their in-differences. He then exposes democrats as liars and shows that even though they have full control of the Senate and House, they still will not help out the African-Americans. Yet another motivational tactic used to help unite an uprising.

His statement about Uncle Sam is interesting as he tries to claim that Uncle Sam’s hands are dripping with the blood of the African American. He then calls Uncle Sam a hypocrite and how he stands as the leader of freedom, yet African American’s are not free. Providing a negative image to the country his people dwell in does not seem to me to be the best idea as even if they attain their freedom, there will still be this wall between blacks and the rest of society. Also not everyone in the country is responsible for his pain.

It’s time for you and me to stop sitting in this country, letting some cracker senators, Northern
crackers and Southern crackers, sit there in Washington, D.C., and come to a conclusion in their
mind that you and I are supposed to have civil rights. There’s no white man going to tell me
anything about my rights. Brothers and sisters, always remember, if it doesn’t take senators and
congressmen and presidential proclamations to give freedom to the white man, it is not necessary
for legislation or proclamation or Supreme Court decisions to give freedom to the black man.
You let that white man know, if this is a country of freedom, let it be a country of freedom; and
if it’s not a country of freedom, change it.

This statement is what I want to look at the closest. He seems to refuse to acknowledge the use of government and instead believes that they should make it known that they should have their own rights. He refuses cooperation, which is a must for successful negotiation and instead believes that a certain supremacy exists and they can go above the current system in place. Yes, they were treated unfairly, but that still doesn’t mean they can establish their own rule to create their own rights. This goes back to our title, The Ballot or the Bullet. He seems to feel that if the ballot fails, then violence is the only alternative. This is not the case as it would just provide a negative image for his people and deter success. I understand he wants to motivate his people but the cost and damage he is willing to take would in the end provide no means to an end and just harm his people even more.

Battle of the Sexes (Analysis)

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King’s essay topic is interesting in itself because it demonstrates the age long battle women have been fighting to secure equality with men. The stereotypical housewife is something that developed during the early 1920’s and 1930’s and then started to change during World War II. This stereotype came about due to women traditionally taking care of their children while their husbands would go to work and earn money to support their families. However, once males had to go to war women started taking a more active role in the workplace and they started to shift this stereotype. Ever since then, women have been fighting to achieve equality and show that they can do just as much as men.

King’s essay is quite the descriptive one. There is no shortage of detail and even though I didn’t read all 29 pages word for word, I can guarantee one probably felt that after they had finished reading it, they were actually at the match. Rhetorically speaking, if we look at the match itself, it was suited for both genders and conveyed the ultiamte message that women can do just as many things as men can. Billy Jean King harassed a slow, old, under prepared Riggs. She demonstrated sportsmanship at the sametime and didn’t let Rigg’s pregame mind tricks fool her. Kyle does a great job illustrating the history of the match and events leading up to the Battle of the Sexes. He showed just how important this match was for women’s rights as he illustrated that certain things were born out of it such as TITLE IX. I don’t get much of a feel for his own personal view on the subject matter, but maybe staying neutral is what he was trying to do. I would have loved to see what the criteria was for this paper.

He vigilantely demonstrated the rhetoric King and Riggs possessed by stating their on and off the field actions. Riggs was a camera man who loved to taunt and be on the TV. King was more composed and treated the match as more of a job. She inspired women throughout the world with her good temper and blissful personality. Riggs on the otherhand demonstrated just how ridiculous this internal conflict was by treating it as somewhat of a joke. He basically expressed the world’s views on feminism and women’s equality, but was bit in the butt for it. His interview during the game showed he throughouly underestimated his opponent and was in for a long evening. I am darn sure of one thing. Many viewers back home had underestimated King and were just as shell shocked as Riggs was during the match.

Overall I thought the paper was excellent although I feel like it was more of a historical piece of work rather than a rhetorical analysis. Regardless, it was very insightful and offered information on what was one of the most important topics of its time.

Lou Gehrig’s Farewell to Baseball (Documentary)

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Lou Gehrig is arguably one of the greatest baseball players to ever walk the earth. He won countless championships and posted incredible numbers that few have matched even today. More importantly, he demonstrated how to not only be a good athlete, but how to be a good person. His legacy spans beyond what he did for baseball. Sadly Gehrig’s career was cut short when he was diagnosed with ALS, a terminal disease. He had to retire from baseball almost immediately and did so in the most repsectful fashion. While many would have became frustrated and scorned the world for being given such horrible luck, Gehrig expressed, “how he was instead the luckiest man in the world and had a lot to live for.” Gehrig’s farewell speech is short, but its hard to find a speech as meanigful anywhere else. Gehrig had full control of his audience’s attention due to his baseball talent through the years. He could have made people feel bad for him, or complained, but instead he delivered a speech that will forever be remembered. He gave his speech in under 40 seconds, but the speech could be analyzed for weeks. He reached out to everyone that has had a “bad break” and has been stricken with a disease. He grabbed his audience’s attention and made them sympathize with not only himself but many others. He was very composed and even though there were so many people listening, one felt he was looking straight into your eyes. Emotionally, this speech couldn’t have been any more impactful. In a stadium filled with thousands he inspired everyone. He made us understand that a terminal illness doesn’t mean you have to give up on life and that there is still so much to do. Perhaps this is the most important thing a good speaker can accomplish, inspiration.

Below is his speech from a documentary about Lou Gehrig.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uXsPvf9zq4&feature=related

Do the Right Thing Response

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The film, Do the Right Thing, is a great example of what can happen to a community when people fail to communicate effectively with each other. Rhetoric is basically nonexistent in this entire film and Spike Lee does a terrific job in illustrating how racial tensions are fueled by word of mouth. These racial tensions are heightened by the hot weather on top of each ethnicity having disrespect for each other. Arguments are fought with racist words and other profanities that each ethnicity yells at each other. Despite this dysfunctional society, the idea of a good citizen is exemplified by one drunk man(the mayor) who understands what the role of a good citizen is. He betters his community through brave deeds such as saving a boy about to be hit by a car and protecting a white pizza shop owner despite his own skin color. He sees into the deeper meaning of people’s roles in society despite his social status. This society as a whole, however, appears very uneducated and sees violence and anger as a means to an end. This proves unsuccessful as both an African American man dies and an entire building is burnt down due to both of these “supposed problem-solving” tactics. Never do people take any effective rhetorical steps such as listening to each other’s viewpoints or even letting one side talk without interruption. Instead, both the African Americans and Whites feel each is owed a certain amount of respect and decide to completely ignore each other and fight their verbal battles with yelling and hatred. All this does in the end is cause destruction and death. Overall, Lee’s movie can be viewed as an example of what happens when we remove rhetoric from a society and replace it with ignorance and lack of respect for one another’s viewpoints.