Inside the mind of a master procrastinator

This Ted Talk is by far one of the best. I find it slightly ironic that I chose this video because I am not a major procrastinator; however, this Ted Talk is superior on several other levels.

One of my favorite parts of this Ted Talk is Tim Urban’s eloquence and charisma. I think he was so well spoken while maintaining a level of informality through analogies and colloquial phrases. His facial expressions, cadence, and change in pitch and tone was captivating, and I aspire to be able to command a room like that one day. His conversational delivery was easy to follow and made sense to the lay person.

Tim Urban is incredibly relatable in this sense as well. His anecdote about his 90 page thesis reminds me of my own thesis that I’ll have to write before I graduate, which I appreciated.  With a mixture of light-hearted humor with the metaphorical “gratification monkey” and the haunting “panic monster,” Urban engages the audience by appealing to pathos and including comedy. I also find it funny that he procrastinated his Ted Talk speech as well, this sort of comes full-circle.

Anyways, here is the brainstorming for blogs:

This paper will be written on the shift of the perception of ogres throughout history. Yes, you’ve guessed it, it’s a Shrek paper.  I will need to find sources but I have the general outline:

*Intro*

Body 1: A history of fantastical creatures and their perception

Body 2: The origin of the ogre

Body 3: More on the Medieval Ages

Body 4: Ogre symbolism/Monster archetype and famous heroes that have fought against these creatures

Body 5: Current ogre culture (LOTR, Shrek!) as seen though film, literature, videogames, etc.

Body 6: The new perception of ogres and how it has changed from hatred to love <3

*Conclusion*

Here is a reflection on the Unit 1 Civic Artifact Speech:

I believe that I spoke clearly and with conviction, while still showing emotion and attempting to be conversational.  While I wish I spent more time revising my notes and not reading off the paper, I think that I did a solid job of creating a concise analysis, but we’ll see.  For the next time, I want to spend more time workshopping my speech and making it even more conversational.  I wish we had more time to talk in order to incorporate more in-depth analysis, and I also wish I was able to include more puns.  I appreciate the feedback from you guys, so thank you for your kind words and constructive criticism!

I’d also like to say that my group mates did a fantastic job on their speeches as well.  All three of you spoke clearly and incorporated a strong analysis, so good job!  I thought it was pretty cool that we all chose historical rhetoric pieces to use.

We (Are) The People

Essay:

Freedom and democracy: these two terms are most commonly used to describe the Land of Liberty: the United States.  Without the monumental Revolutionary War, the United States would not be the capitalist superpower that it is today.  The land that bleeds red, white, and blue has been built upon deep-rooted morals and intense passions among trailblazers alike.  Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 “Join or Die” cartoon, created during the French and Indian War, and the United States Constitution, continually followed since 1789, are examples of citizens taking initiative to improve their country.  Both the “Join or Die” cartoon and the U.S. Constitution evoke feelings of patriotism by uniting a divided nation, as well as encourage citizens to participate in civic engagement in different ways. While the political cartoon incorporates visual rhetoric and the written document utilizes commonplaces, both pieces of rhetoric employ the trust and rhetorical situation lenses.

Body 2: Cartoon

How can we analyze visual rhetoric?

Benjamin Franklin urges American colonists to participate in war efforts through his incorporation of the symbolic snake, his stylistic background decisions, and his use of diction and text.

Snake is in pieces, like metaphorically broken up. Is the snake dead? Snake seems powerless when it crumbles. What does snake symbolize? Broken up=divided colonies, but what does the physical use of a snake mean? Why choose a snake? Snakes symbolize rebirth, since they shed their skins and evolve.  Honestly, this is kind of like the colonies being reborn as the United States of America after the American Revolution. The snake is also very powerful and can be dangerous and sneaky, maybe this alludes to the 13 colonies being a hidden superpower, later foreshadowing that the U.S. will be a global superpower.  

The starkness of the white background brings your eye to the front, focusing on the disfigured snake. The snake is good, very good. We want to look at it since it has important meanings, as mentioned above. The black text is bold and the simple typing/font beckons people to check it out and it seems professional, coming out of a newspaper or other type of media.  This kind of supports how Benjamin Franklin appeals to ethos and builds respect. He’s a scholar with plenty of credibility since he is incredibly smart and has a lot of experience.

“Join or die,” why would I wanna do that? I wouldn’t, I’d need to be threatened or persuaded.  This simple phrase is powerful on two fronts.  Numero uno: join can be seen as unifying and welcoming, seeing any regular person can be a part of the cause. Perhaps it’s the colonists’ civic duty to join and they feel inspired to fight among their brethren. Mega pathos energy since Benjamin Franklin is appealing to emotions and rallying his people. Numero dos: but what if I felt threatened by this? Die is a pretty strong word.  Well, this could scare the average farmer or blacksmith into joining the cause. Either way, they could die, either by fighting in the war or being killed off by the invading French, perhaps even being killed off by their own friends for being scared and not fighting with them in the war. It’s the civic duty of the colonists to fight because they have to protect the crown. It’s like it’s their responsibility to fight for their king and keep up his reputation and fortitude, pretty evident since the British were a colonial superpower way back then.

Body 1: Rhetorical Situation

How can we link this up?

Exigence=American colonies are being enlisted by Great Britain to fight invaders, which is the French and Indian War itself.  Why did this happen and why is it still occurring? Because the French are invasive and want to take over land for their own profit. Speaker=Benjamin Franklin. Why is he important? Benjamin Franklin clearly loves America and he wants to protect his country (this is also supported by ethos). Audience=American colonists. Why them? Who else? They live there and the king expects them to be loyal to him and fight in militias.  They have the responsibility to help their mercantilist country and be heroes (a real zero to hero moment) and they should aid in war efforts somehow. Purpose=Get colonists to fight against the French invading from Canada. Why do we fight? Because it’s our responsibility as citizens.

Body 4: The Constitution and its many commonplaces (with a hint of trust with pathos and ethos)

-“We the people” 

-“Perfect Union”

-“General Welfare”

Body 3: The Constitution’s Rhetorical Situation

Exigence=need for a better document after the failure of the Articles of Confederation.  Why do we want to improve? We, as Americans, look up towards our fore-fathers to establish a basis for structured society.  Speaker=representatives writing the bill to represent the desires and needs of the American people.  This would include Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, James Madison, etc.  Audience=(1.) Americans because it’s their rights and their new laws and (2.) the rest of the world to set an example of a democratic government.  Purpose=unite the people and ensure their natural rights and their newfound passion for helping improve society (it’s their duty to do this as a citizen).

Body5/Conclusion=comparison. Both encourage different types of civic engagement: the cartoon urges people to join the war and aid in war efforts while the Constitution asserts that everyone should exercise their natural rights (like voting and following laws and being good humans in society) according to the outlined details in the document. )lasting qualities

Outline for speech: (please condense)

Freedom and democracy: these two terms are most commonly used to describe the Land of Liberty: the United States. The country that bleeds red, white, and blue has been built upon deep-rooted morals and intense passions among trailblazers alike. I’d imagine the American colonists empathized with this, 300 years ago, when encountering Benjamin Franklin’s “Join or Die” cartoon, picturing a disfigured snake embodying the 13 colonies. Overall, Franklin urges American colonists to participate in war efforts through his incorporation of the symbolic snake, his stylistic background decisions, and his use of written text.

Benjamin Franklin’s cartoon, created in 1754, is war propaganda that advocates for civic engagement during the French and Indian War, which serves as the exigence. The speaker, as stated, is Benjamin Franklin. Clearly, as a proud colonist, politician and journalist, Franklin dreams to protect his country, which furthers his appeal to ethos as a trusted and well-respected figure. This, as well, will foreshadow his newfound patriotism during the American Revolution and his desire to serve the land of the free and the home of the brave. Next, Franklin targets American colonists, the primary audience, since they reside in the colonies and are expected to fight for their king. However, the secondary audience are other countries, in which Franklin emphasizes the colonies’ latent power, foreshadowing the United States’ future position as a world superpower. Through a strong appeal to pathos, evoking nationalism and fear, Franklin aims to unite the 13 colonies and instill the idea that colonial America is a force to be reckoned with. Finally, Franklin’s purpose is to rally colonists to fight against the French, invading from Canada. But why should they fight? Well, it’s their responsibility as citizens in a functioning colonial society to sustain their communities and protect the homefront.

But let’s take a closer look at the cartoon itself. My eye first catches the snake sliced into 8 pieces. This is a metaphor for the “broken up” and separated colonies. The snake, at the moment, looks dead, symbolizing a weak colonial empire. While seemingly powerless, snakes symbolize rebirth, since they shed their skin and regrow a healthier and stronger one. Here, the colonies are also being reborn as the United States of America after the American Revolution. Snakes, in general, are also very powerful and can be dangerous and sneaky; maybe this alludes to the 13 colonies being a hidden superpower, later foreshadowing that the U.S. will be a global superpower.  

The starkness of the white paper background helps focus on the disfigured snake, since it holds significance. It also plays up the retro newspaper background, which serves to emphasize the timelessness of American patriotism. The black text is bold and simple, and the old-school font lures readers to check it out; it seems professional, coming out of a newspaper or other type of media.  This supports Benjamin Franklin’s appeals to ethos and builds respect, since he’s a scholar with plenty of credibility and a lot of experience.

So, “join or die,” I’d ask myself, why would I do that? I wouldn’t, I’d need to be persuaded or threatened. This simple phrase is powerful on two fronts. First, “join” can be seen as unifying and welcoming, seeing any regular person, from the nearest farmer, blacksmith, teacher, or doctor can be a part of the cause. It’s the colonists’ civic duty to “join” war efforts, which evokes feelings of inspiration to fight among their fellow neighbors, a clear appeal to pathos by rallying the people. Second, what if I felt threatened by this? “Die” holds great severity, and could scare the average man into joining the cause, emphasizing a real zero-to-hero moment. Either way, they could die, either by fighting in the war, being killed off by the invading French, or perhaps even being killed off by their own friends for being scared and avoiding the war. It’s their responsibility to fight for their king and keep up his reputation and fortitude, which is evident through the infamous British back then.

Overall, Benjamin Franklin’s “Join or Die” cartoon advocates for American colonists to participate in civic engagement, as seen through the rhetorical situation, visual rhetoric, and trust lenses.  This artifact is noteworthy because it played a critical role in American history and acted as a symbol of patriotism during the American Revolution. So, what do you say, are you willing to join the cause? Thank you.

Introduction:

Freedom and democracy: these two terms are most commonly used to describe the United States.  Without the monumental Revolutionary War, the United States would not be the capitalist superpower that it is today.  Certain documents have driven this: one being Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 “Join or Die” cartoon, created during the French and Indian War; and the other being the United States Constitution, continually followed since 1789.  Both the “Join or Die” cartoon and the U.S. Constitution evoke feelings of patriotism by uniting a divided nation, as well as encourage citizens to participate in civic engagement in different ways. While the political cartoon incorporates visual rhetoric and the written document utilizes commonplaces, both pieces of rhetoric employ the trust and rhetorical situation lenses.

Outline for speech:

Hook: War anyone? Regardless of your answer, there’s a war to fight.  I’d imagine the American colonists empathized with this when encountering Benjamin Franklin’s “Join or Die” cartoon, picturing a disfigured snake embodying the 13 colonies.

Claim: By appealing to emotions, Franklin urges colonists to combine their individual power in order to win the French and Indian War.

Trust Lens Analysis: In the 1754 cartoon, Franklin appeals to pathos by evoking feelings on unity among the divided colonies.  He may also evoke fear by threatening colonists to join the army (basically a bunch of farmers and blacksmiths, etc. a real zero to hero moment), (focus on his diction here for further analysis).  Franklin, as a well-respected scholar in the colonies and a renowned writer for several newspapers, appeals to ethos and established himself as a trustworthy figure that people should listen to (later this foreshadows his mass influence during the American Revolution).

The Rhetorical Situation: Exigence=American colonies are being enlisted by Great Britain to fight invaders (the French and Indian War itself).  Speaker=Benjamin Franklin.  Audience=American colonists.  Purpose=Get colonists to fight against the French invading from Canada.

Visual Rhetoric Lens (sort of goes hand in hand with Trust Lens): First, talk more about the disjointed snake and how a choppy snake is basically dead (resembles weak, separated colonies and their lack of control).  Next, focus more on how simple the cartoon is (few words and is not cramped with material, as well as a single image that serves as the entire premise of the cartoon, self-explanatory).

Conclusion: Restate claim that I still need to write, give some sort of good closer about history (perhaps copy from pitch: “This artifact is significant because it played a critical role in American History and sufficed as a symbol of patriotism during the American Revolution.  So, what do you say, are you willing to join the cause? Thank you.”)

One classmate that I thought had a strong elevator pitch is Jaida.  She focused on the classic World War II poster picturing Uncle Sam urging Americans to join the army.

I appreciate her unique attention-getter and I was originally curious as to how this could be related to war.  By establishing an every-day scene at a general supermarket, Jaida’s opening conveyed that an average citizen could join the army just as easily as shopping at their local grocery store.  This is extremely clever, since it correlates to the idea that anyone can enlist in the military to fight for their country.

Following this, I think that Jaida introduced a strong claim, emphasizing her focus on lenses such as visual rhetoric and trust.  When analyzing through these lenses, I like how she focused on the capitalized “YOU” and her take on the appeal to pathos.  Great job explaining how Uncle Sam appears to target specific passer-byers with his exclamation, which encourages them to observe the poster and potentially join the army!  Additionally, Jaida’s color analysis and note of Uncle Sam’s symbolic red, white, and blue suit emphasize the immense amount of national pride.

One line from the pitch that I especially like is, “The thought is that Uncle Sam is patriotic and serving his country, so if I am going to be patriotic, I must serve my country too.”  I feel that this really speaks to the feelings of unity evoked by the poster.

These lenses are both very convincing, and I remember a hint at the rhetorical situation later in the speech.  Jaida, if you’re reading this, I definitely think you could expand on that if you wanted, since it sort of correlates to trust and visual rhetoric as well.

Overall, Jaida had a great flow to her pitch and spoke with conviction.  Well done, I can’t wait to hear your speech!