Category: RCL

Passion Blog

Idea #1: I think I’m going to stick to my previous topic for my passion blog which explored recipes from different places around the world as I made (or struggle to make for that matter) them myself. The blog was a lot of fun to write and I learned a lot throughout the whole process. For this semester, I think I want to focus back on the cultural aspects that tie into the recipe I chose for each week to give the blog a more cultural/sociological aspect to it.

Ideas #2: If I were to change my blog topic, I might write about whatever part of my book I read since my last post or even a “book review” type of thing. If I did go with this choice, I think I’d have to come up with some more guidelines so that my posts aren’t just summaries.

This I Believe

Idea #1: For some reason, I used to be really afraid of the ocean and would even try to avoid it altogether. Once I forced myself to actually go and get in the water again though, my fear was suddenly lifted. That is why I believe that confrontation is the best (if not the only way) to truly overcome a fear. I had the same experience with many things (driving, interviews) but those fears were all resolved by just jumping in there. 

Idea #2: For my second idea, I want to explore my belief that music is an important source of communication, rather than just entertainment. I’m just someone who really likes music, and pretty much all types at that. I’d have to spend more time brainstorming an actual personal experience that relates to this topic but I’m sure I could find one no matter how small it is. 

Civic Issues Blog

For my Civic Issues blog, I think I’ve managed to boil down some of my interests into two main topics.

Education and Equity: There are so many factors that affect someone’s education and a lot of differences in the quality of that education based on location (and cost for college). If I got a little bit more specific, I think that I would be able to come up with a lot of topics that I could explore under this category. For example, for one entry I might compare public school funding in different areas of the country and look at how that funding is associated with testing and things like that. I might also look at something like the SAT consider how test prep, having parents that are knowledgeable about the college process, and things like that are all factors that can significantly improve a student’s performance even though they are resources not everyone has available to them. 

The Current Prison System Setup (and exploring other alternatives including those practiced in different parts of the world): I remember reading about the way certain countries view incarceration as instead a place of rehabilitation and how those who participated in that type of incarceration were much less likely to end up being sent back. A few documentaries later, and I found myself frequently considering the proven flaws with the current way the prison system is set up. I also found myself doing a lot of casual research into the success rates of different types of prison systems. If I end up choosing this topic, I might have to make it a little more specific or maybe about one social aspect of the prison system.

I was pretty nervous about my TED Talk because I was really struggling to decide what information to keep in my presentation and what I had to cut in order to stay under the time limit. I was pretty unsure about how strong my information was because I was afraid I wouldn’t be clear enough in my ideas to actual exemplify my thesis as well as a paradigm shift in general. I also spent a lot of time trying to make my presentation slides as effective as possible, after deciding that the previous theme that I used was just not a good fit. In terms of my recorded presentation, I think it went well. I was pleasantly surprised that I rerecorded my presentation significantly fewer times, which I attribute to knowing the information a little better. I also really loved watching my group members’ projects and I thought they all had such amazing topics as well as presentations in general.

For our History of a Public Controversy Project, I have a few ideas that I’ve been brainstorming that might work well. In terms of the current times we are living in, I think it might be interesting to consider how COVID-19 and enforcing mask-wearing in public has turned into a controversial topic, especially as people cite their constitutional rights. Another idea I had was about the idea of privacy rights, especially in terms of government surveillance and things like that. I think this is another topic that has some potential in terms of considering how people consider the commonplace that the government is supposed to keep its citizens safe in contrast with people considering how this government surveillance is impeding on people’s rights. I’m really looking forward to hearing what my other group members come up with for this project and working with them on this!

Here is the link to my slides for my presentation:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DNMX0qU_7gO2EZcV0YDJof_plAjS554-4Sk8zkKmUD8/edit?usp=sharing

 

Thesis: The word “girl” has shifted meanings to mirror the importance of gender roles and feminism throughout time. 

*Definitely need to make my thesis stronger and more specific*

1. Original Meaning of The Word
   1. References to how the word originally referred to a child regardless of their sex
   2. Short etymology background
2. Transformation into it meaning “woman” or anyone of 
   1. “Man and Girl”
3. Modern feminism transforming the word’s meaning again
   1. How some see it as a demeaning term used against women
   2. Growing popularity of “girl power”
   3. Examples of girls in pop culture
      1. “Golden girls”, Beyonce’s “Who Runs the Word”, Spice Girls

For my Unit 2 Project, I’ve decided to stick with how the word “girl” (previously spelled “gyrl”) has had a complete shift in meaning since its origination somewhere around the 13 century. In its original context, the word referred to a young child, regardless of gender. Then the definition shifted as literature began to refer to married couples as “husband and gyrl”. Yet today “girl” not only refers to only a female child, but it is also considered a word with demeaning intentions as women are constantly referred to as “girl” in their everyday lives, deeming them immature and childlike. So then why are there so many examples of “girls” in our everyday lives? There are so many songs, TV shows, and movies that include the word “girls”, even when the characters seem like they would be considered “women”. The re-ownership and attempt to redefine the word “girl” into the concept of “girl power” is something that a lot of powerful feminists are striving to accomplish. Basically, I want to first look at the original history of the word girl, how it changed to mean a female child, and how it’s modern applications are yet again redefining the word.

Source #1: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/history-of-the-word-girl_n_57bb6915e4b0b51733a53195 (This source provided me with a lot of my inspiration for this topic and considers not only the history of the word girl but its dainty connotation and how pop culture and modern feminists are trying to redefine the word yet again. It also mentions important information about how young women are uncomfortable using the word “woman” without really knowing why.)

Source #2: https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/girl (This source just provides some ways that the word girl is used today and exemplifies how it can be used in a lot of different contexts.)

Source #3: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/grammar-vocabulary/story/word-girl-used-for-both-boys-and-girls-gender-neutral-word-origin-1645482-2020-02-11 (This source is where I learned the original literary uses of the word “gyrl” and when it began to refer to a female.”)

Source #4: https://historyofwomen.org/ (This source provided me with a lot of the historical context in England that I can use to further understand how the perception of women changed from the 1300s to the 1600s to get a better understanding of why the word “girl” needed to change.)

Source #5: https://qz.com/1078044/girl-power-girly-girl-the-origins-of-the-word-girl/ (This source is less formal but still provides interesting information of the etymology of the word and its German roots. It also mentions the fact that while we are used to words changing meanings as time goes on, changing a word’s entire gender is quite uncommon.)

TED talks in general are one of my favorite ways to watch something while feeling productive because I feel like I learn so much or have so much to think about after just 20 minutes. Normally, I find myself listening to the podcast versions of these talks, so actually seeing the speaker on stage was something new that I got to experience.

While I was navigating the TED Talk website, I came across one in particular that drew my attention the most. This talk is entitled “The Power of Introverts” which seemed like a perfect watch for me, as I consider myself an introvert. This talk by Susan Cain not only provided this engaging information and ideas to consider, but it also gave me hope that if an introvert like her can go out and speak to millions of people, then my own public speaking experiences shouldn’t seem impossible. I found this talk both relatable and helpful. It’s funny because I’ve always considered myself an uncreative person, but according to Cain’s talk this might just be because I haven’t given myself the time to try to be creative on my own. Susan Cain, throughout this talk, goes on to explain how societal structures, like school and work, are being more and more designed for extroverted people. She emphasizes how this is doing a disservice to the creativity and productivity of students and workers because it is only adhering to their extroverted sides. She argues that each person has a varying combination of extroverted and introverted qualities, yet our school and work environments fail to recognize this and seem to only reward extroverted behavior.

For my Unit Two project, I have a few ideas that I might end up choosing. I am particularly interested in following the progression and use of a particular word. Instead of looking at how a slang word came to be recently, I think I’d be more interested in looking at how a traditional word actually transformed meanings and morphed into something more relevant for use today. Some examples might be the words “nice”, “pretty”, or “girl” and how each of their usages are tied to the perception and objectification of women at the time. For example, the word “girl” in the 1300s referred to a child in general, whether female or male. Interestingly, as people seemed to need a way to distinguish between men and women, even when they were incredibly young, the word “girl” transitioned to referring to a female child.

Here’s a link to the TED talk:

Overall, I would say that my presentation went well, and I am very happy with the content I presented. It really helped that I was genuinely interested in my topic, which made reciting the information a lot more natural because it was something I knew a lot about as opposed to just having memorized.

My groupmates mentioned that they appreciated the format of my slides, especially when I gave direct quotes from FDR’s speech. I feel like that was a good way to present the information without it seeming too wordy. They also mentioned that standing up during my presentation made me seem more engaged in the material.

My other groupmates had such great speeches and I was really impressed with both the information they presented and how they presented it. They were all so confident in the information they were presenting which showed very clearly in terms of their posture, hand gestures, and tone. This confidence is definitely something I hope to learn from my groupmates because it is definitely something I need to improve upon.

I was pretty nervous about having my peers watch my speech, as I’m sure most people can relate to. There’s really nothing I hate more than speaking in front of people, but my group was super supportive which was a huge relief. I expected pre-recording the speech to be a lot easier than presenting to a live audience, and for the most part, it was. The only problem was that I became I lot more aware of how many mistakes or filler words I used during my speech than I normally would have. Every time I felt like I took too long of a pause, or something like that, then I would rerecord. I thought it would be a lot harder to memorize parts of my speech, but after a lot of takes, it actually came pretty naturally.

After this project, I think I definitely know my strengths as well as how to capitalize on them and also things I can improve upon for our next project.

Imagine the tension as, in the midst of the Great Depression, a new president is elected into office. While people are struggling and overall pessimistic about the future, they still hope that their recent election of a new president might change things for the better. After winning by a relatively large margin, FDR was ready to transition from campaigning to announcing his plan to take action as the newly elected official. His First Inaugural Address was the first speech he made to the American people as President. Ready to take on the challenges the country was facing, FDR included emotional sentiments by imploring the American people to look to the future and his new administration with hope. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address articulates powerful examples of strong emotional appeals of confidence and hope, the Kairos of the tense political atmosphere of 1933, and the commonplace that an inaugural address usually lays out the President’s promises and intentions for the upcoming term.  President FDR’s application of these rhetorical tools also came to light in his Second Inaugural Address. Franklin Delano Roosevelt employs commonplaces, rhetorical situations in which these speeches arose, and the use of ethos and pathos to further enhance the promises and arguments he presents.

The kairotic moments of the time period are capitalized upon in President FDR’s First Inaugural Address. March of 1933 was close to the end of the Great Depression, but no one knew that yet. Instead, the people of America faced distress as they had to survive without their jobs and stability. FDR’s First Inaugural Speech emerged at this time following his election, and he focused this address around the current problems America was facing, specifically the Great Depression. President FDR also used this event and speech as an opportunity to blame these American struggles on the last administration of President Hoover, capitalizing on the fact that he had just been removed from office after one term. This speech takes advantage of the kairotic moment that is an election, inauguration, and public speech to contextualize the problems facing America. 

To engage the American listeners most effectively, President FDR’s First and Second Inaugural Addresses both consider commonplaces associated with presenting an inaugural address and the roles of the presidency in America. This inaugural speech is known for targeting the emotions and desires of the audience, but FDR’s First Inaugural Address slightly strays from doing so in the traditional sense. Not only does he include emotionally pulling sentiments, but he also includes direct initiatives he plans to pass through Congress. This aspect also ties into the notion that the inaugural speech allows the President to speak to the American people without campaigning. To add, another commonplace is that the President comes from a well-off family, yet is still expected to understand the needs of everyday Americans as the man of the people. He follows this idea in both of his speeches by coming off as a relatable figure that understands the struggles facing the middle and lower classes.

This speech heavily relies on emotional appeal to contribute to the style and ensure it’s message is received. FDR’s first speech tries to uplift the American people and inspire them towards an improved future, and that his new administration would solve the “evils of the old order,” referring to President Hoover’s administration. The language chosen in this speech emphasizes a call to action as well as vivid imagery of breaking free from the horrible evils that have held America back. This speech makes it clear that President FDR’s administration hopes to place the blame of America’s struggles not on the general people, but on individuals like the previous administration, bankers, and others. The famous quote, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself,” then goes on to describe the terrifying nature of fear, calling it “nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts”. FDR is quite literally implanting this fear of fear so that people break free and inspire them to move on from it while also mentioning where it originated from. 

FDR utilized similar tactics with his Second Inaugural Address, yet on a less extreme level. In 1937, the Great Depression was no longer a concern to most Americans, and they were already aware of how FDR ran his administration. FDR instead focused on the fact that he had won this election by an unbelievable margin, especially from lower and middle-class voters. He addresses this event in his speech, which leads him to mention the conditions these ordinary people live in every day, drawing attention to their situations.  In his Second Inaugural Speech, President FDR follows the commonplaces to address the problems of the country and give the people hope, all without offering much or any concrete legislation. FDR’s Second Inaugural Address depends on strong sentiment. However, for this speech, he relies on strong imagery not to inspire people, but to open their eyes to the struggles of the working and lower classes. He chooses to go on to “paint a picture” as he puts it, of the things he sees millions of families struggle with, including terrible working conditions, inadequate education opportunities, and malnourishment. Although his ultimate goal is to instill hope in the American people, this time, he does it by raising awareness of the real atrocities in their backyard, not just a figurative image of “fear”.

President FDR’s application of commonplaces, pathos, and the rhetorical situation all come together to produce a speech with incredible rhetorical significance. Ultimately, these tools contribute to the memorable invention, arrangement, and style that convinced the American people of their hopeful future and ability to persevere through difficult times. 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address came at the height of the Great Depression in 1933. People were struggling and overall pessimistic about the future, but they hoped that their recent election of a new president might change how things were going. After winning by a relatively large margin, FDR was ready to transition from campaigning to announcing his plan to take action as the newly elected official. His First Inaugural Address was the first speech he made to the American people as President. Ready to take on the challenges the country was facing, FDR included emotional sentiments by imploring the American people to look to the future and his new administration with hope. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address articulates powerful examples of strong emotional appeals of confidence and hope, the Kairos of the tense political atmosphere of 1933, and the commonplace that an inaugural address usually lays out the President’s promises and intentions for the upcoming term. Meanwhile, how does this address compare to FDR’s Second Inaugural Address? The people were already accustomed to his presidency and were not as concerned with the depression anymore. Even so, new challenges faced them, resulting in a shift toward focusing on improving life for the working class. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first and second inaugural speech differently approach these commonplaces, rhetorical situations in which these speeches arose, and the use of ethos and pathos.

The kairotic moments of the time period are capitalized upon in both President FDR’s First and Second Inaugural Address. March of 1933 was close to the end of the Great Depression, but no one knew that yet. Instead, the people of America faced distress as they had to survive without their jobs and stability. FDR’s First Inaugural Speech emerged at this time following his election, and he focused this address around the current problems America was facing, specifically the Great Depression. President FDR also used this event and speech as an opportunity to blame these American struggles on the last administration of President Hoover, capitalizing on the fact that he had just been removed from office after one term. FDR utilized similar tactics with his Second Inaugural Address, yet on a less extreme level. In 1937, the Great Depression was no longer a concern to most Americans, and they were already aware of how FDR ran his administration. FDR instead focused on the fact that he had won this election by an unbelievable margin, especially from lower and middle-class voters. He addresses this event in his speech, which leads him to mention the conditions these ordinary people live in every day, drawing attention to their situations. Either way, both speeches take advantage of the kairotic moment that is an election, inauguration, and public speech to contextualize the problems facing America.

To engage the American listeners most effectively, President FDR’s First and Second Inaugural Addresses both consider commonplaces associated with presenting an inaugural address and the roles of the presidency in America. These inaugural speeches are known for targeting the emotions and desires of the audience, but FDR’s First Inaugural Address slightly strays from this model. Not only does he include emotionally pulling sentiments, but he also includes direct initiatives he plans to pass through Congress. This aspect also ties into the notion that the inaugural speech allows the President to speak to the American people without campaigning. This deviation from the typical inaugural speech is not present in his Second Inaugural Address. Instead, he follows the commonplaces to address the problems of the country and give the people hope, all without offering much or any concrete legislation. To add, another commonplace is that the President comes from a well-off family, yet is still expected to understand the needs of everyday Americans as the man of the people. He follows this idea in both of his speeches by coming off as a relatable figure that understands the struggles facing the middle and lower classes.

Both of these speeches heavily rely on emotional appeal to ensure their message is received, but they do so in differing ways. FDR’s first speech tries to uplift the American people and inspire them towards an improved future, and that his new administration would solve the “evils of the old order,” referring to President Hoover’s administration. The language chosen in this speech emphasizes a call to action as well as vivid imagery of breaking free from the horrible evils that have held America back. The famous quote, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself,” then goes on to describe the terrifying nature of fear, calling it “nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts”. FDR is quite literally implanting this fear of fear so that people break free and inspire them to move on from it. Similarly, FDR’s Second Inaugural Address depends on strong sentiment. However, for this speech, he relies on strong imagery not to inspire people, but to open their eyes to the struggles of the working and lower classes. He chooses to go on to “paint a picture” as he puts it, of the things he sees millions of families struggle with, including terrible working conditions, inadequate education opportunities, and malnourishment. Although his ultimate goal is to instill hope in the American people, this time, he does it by raising awareness of the real atrocities in their backyard, not just a figurative image of “fear”.

(Conclusion)

Introduction

• FDR’s First Inaugural Address
• Civic Artifact = received by a large percent of the population and used to develop “first-impressions” of new President
• Thesis: Amidst the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address articulates powerful examples of strong emotional appeals of confidence and hope, the Kairos of the tense political atmosphere of 1933, and the commonplace that an inaugural address lays out the President’s intentions for the upcoming term.

1. Rhetorical Situation/Kairos

• First Inaugural Address (1933)
• By this being an inaugural address, President FDR knows that millions of americans were watching this speech giving him a stage to send his message to a lot of people, especially in his new and respected position as president
• The Inaugural Address is usually one of the first times the President gives a speech and addresses the public without worrying about campaigning
• Great Depression (1929-1933)
  • Morale was very down
  • Lost jobs
  • Blamed on last President (President Hoover)

1. Pathos

• Trying to boost confidence, hope, and inspiration
  • “in our progress toward a resumption of work we require two safeguards against a return of the evils of the old order”
• Famous quote: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself–nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

 

1. Commonplace of being stronger as a united community

• This address also captures the commonplace that people are stronger when they unite as a community. He uses this claim to push the call to action onto the American people
• President FDR’s speech writer, Raymond Moley, even admitted to writing this speech in a similar way he would write a speech to garner support for  a war. This piece of information really helps us piece together that, in a way, the audience was meant to feel like they were soldiers being sent into battle. Their opponent: The Great Depression.
• Language used in the speech specifically (powerful/call to action)
  • “This Nation asks for action, and action now”
  • Collectively, the American people are being asked by their country for help. 
  • In doing so, FDR is basically saying that you can either take your patriotic action or be left out of the united community

Conclusion

• Look at FDR’s Second Inaugural Address to see similar commonplaces but see how rhetorical situation really affects the way the speech is written
  • Look at how they were received differently by the audience
• Speech reinforces commonplaces (emotional appeal) but to a more than usual extent