My View of RCL

Coming into the class I knew rhetoric was important. My hopes initially in college where to become a journalist, so I knew coming into college that the words one used was important. What I did not know was the ins and outs of organizing these words. Writing has always somewhat come naturally to me (disclaimer: my blogs may not reflect this) I just kinda wright my stream of consciousness. I learned a lot about Pathos and Logos and how to formally organize my thoughts.

What I think was most helpful about this class was how it helped my public speaking. I do stand up comedy (I’m not that funny) but speaking formally is a struggle for me. This class helped me organize my thoughts from the page into words.

Survey Questions for Documentary

  1. Which political party (if any) do you most identify with?
  2. what type of financial situation did you grow up in?
  3. Have you or a close family member ever been on any form of welfare?
  4. how would you describe someone on welfare?
  5. how would you describe someone not on welfare?
  6. what is your personal view on welfare or other entitlement programs (i.e. should we have them)?

TED Talk on Procractination

The reason I like this TED talk so much is because it is 100% relatable. The other reason is it accurately explains why I didn’t have time to post my blog entries last week. Procrastination is a problem that I’m sure has plagued everyone at some point. I mean, how amazing is doing nothing. This past weekend I did absolutely nothing, and it was the happiest I have been in months. It was one of those weekends when I went to go get dinner I had to warm up my voice from lack of use through the day. Tim Urban uses humor to relate to his audience. I think this is a key aspect of public speaking, especially when the topic is light hearted like procrastination. This is honestly one of my favorite TED talks, and will most likely be how I format mine for our future assignment.

https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator

Favorite Photos

My two favorite photos taken by Adarrio are between page 146 and 147. the first is a photo of Marines relaxing and taking the downtime to shave and talk with one another. The second in on the following page. it is of two Marines carrying a suspected member of the Taliban out of a house that they just raided. The reason these are my two favorites are their ability to contrast each other. In just two small pictures, Adarrio is able to capture the highs and lows of war. I feel I can do the same with my passion. by providing visual aids or possibly videos, I can show the progress I have made in playing the guitar over the past few years.

RCL Arttifact Essay Draft

The novel “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brian describes O’Brian’s survive in the Vietnam War. The first chapter begins with listing the many items that soldiers carried in the field. The items listed range from the essential to the mundane but hold some form of significant meaning to the induvial soldier. To the average American these items hold different meanings. A good pair of boots meant the world to American soldiers, while they may be a luxury to the average American, they were not a necessity. Music acted in very much the same way. Music was something every soldier carried with them, whether it was a radio or a song stuck in their head they carried it with them. Music also held different meanings. Jimi Hendrix’s song “Purple Haze” is a song many attribute to be about drug use, but to many soldiers it reminds them of the smoke grenades used to signal helicopters. One song that both civilian and “grunt” could agree had the same meaning was “Fortunate Son” by Creedance Clearwater Revival (CCR). The song was able to pull upon the anger many felt towards the Vietnam War and how the privileged were sending many Americans to their death. More recently in 2005 the song “American Idiot” by Green Day was able to do the same thing. Using many of the same commonplaces as “Fortunate Son”, the song was able to voice the way people felt about a polarizing political event in the same way as “Fortunate Son”.

In order to prove that both “Fortunate Son” and “American Idiot” share the same message, one must first understand the political events surrounding the two hit songs. “Fortunate Son” was released in September of 1969. At this point, the US had been entangled in the war in Vietnam for four years, and the people where growing tired of it. People became frustrated not only with the horrors of war being broadcast back to the states by an ever-growing news media, but also with their politicians. The publicized reason for sending troops to Vietnam was not to engage the Viet Kong, but to provide aid and training for the existing South Vietnamese Army. Not only did our motives change in being there but there was no clear indictor of victory. In World War 2, our measure of when the war would end was measured in miles to Berlin. In Vietnam, it was solely measured upon the amount of Viet Kong killed. This created confusion back home, and made many wonder if there would ever be an end.

I plan to further elaborate on the problems that people had with the Draft and how “Fortunate Son” uses those common places to speak for the people. I will also do the same for “American Idiot” with explanation of the political atmosphere that the song was written in, and an analysis of the lyrics. I will compare their similarities in my conclusion

Conflict

Addario writes about her time photographing Refugees during the Sudanese Civil War. She writes about witnessing the hardship of these people and feeling self conscience about her appearance (a well fed and nourished American woman). She also writes about her struggle with making money off the photos she took of these people. This conflict ultimately affected her actions. She continues to do what she does because it spreads awareness for the plight of the Sudanese people. I can’t say that I have had a similar conflict, but what I see why she describes this conflict. By describing this moral dilemma, she makes herself more relatable to the reader. I will try to employ this technique in my writing as well because, the more relatable the story is to the reader the more it continues to hold their interest.

Opening Paragraph

The book the “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brian opens up with a list of things that many service men in Vietnam would have carried. This list, ranges from the obvious to the mundane. These items mean nothing to the average American, but to them they where life. Music of the era behaved in much the same way. Jimi Hendrix’s  “Purple Haze” is clearly a song about drug use (specifically Acid), But to the average front line grunt it invokes the image of purple smoke grenades used to signal rescue helicopters. Music was the voice of the people during the conflict of the  60’s, and continues to be now. Songs like “Fortunate Son”  by Creedance Clearwater Rival (CCR), where able to play off of the commonplace and Kairos of the time. The same is true for Green Day’s “American Idiot.” these are songs from two completely different times, but they have the ability evoke the feelings and frustrations of the American people.

Part 2

I think one of the most vivid parts of the book came in chapter 4. Addario describes the first day of the post 9/11 era, and her trip into Preshawar. I found her description of the journalists in the city extremely vivid. I also was able to relate to the description of Americas obsession with Islam. I was only three at the time of the 9/11 attacks and all my knowledge about Islam comes from these stories told by journalists. It seems very foreign to me, and I’m sure to the rest of my generation, to have a world were this isn’t common knowledge. I feel like Addario I could use this in my own writing. By giving us a flash of what things were like when no one knew anything, I was able to relate to the situation. I feel I can do the same in my writing. When I write about playing guitar, I can write about a time when I knew the same as my reader who doesn’t play. This can help the reader relate to my situation and my passion.