Lucidity

http://thirdeyedrops.com/lucid-dreams/

When looking at this image, there are a couple different components that come together to make this image unique. In this image, a man is perceived walking through a desert and stemming from the top of his head appears a large bubble filled with a depiction of what seems to be space.

The main argument I think that this piece is trying to convey is that when experiencing lucid dreams, one witnesses the vast and limitless thought the unconscious or subconscious engages in.

Looking at the large bubble, one can see a black space filled with many colors and small white particles. This likely is meant to represent space as space is perceived as mostly black filled with unique colors from different phenomenons and white stars that are only white because of how minuscule they are when perceived by the human eye. Stemming from the person’s head, it is likely that the creator of this image is showing space or the universe as inside the person’s brain. Because the universe is characterized as the ever-expanding reality people live in, this depiction is likely meant to represent infinite and limitless thought.

Another thing to notice is that the person who has the bubble over their head is trotting through a desert. The setting of a desert might help emphasize the significance of the large bubble. While the large bubble is filled with unique and complex phenomena, the desert is filled with nothing substantial or noticeable. As a result, the bubble’s significance is heightened and it appears even more interesting and complex. The disparity between the complexity of the bubble and the setting also serves to show the contrast between the subconscious and conscious. It shows that the conscious mind and its perception of reality is nothing compared to the complexity of the subconscious mind.

Where this all ties to lucidity is the border of the image. The center of the image has the brightest sky and the further away from the center, the darker the sky. The effect is so exaggerated that all corners of the image are completely black. In fact, if the viewer pays attention to the outline the darkness creates for the image, it is shaped like an eye. In other words, the artist is trying to depict a moment where the individual perceives their conscious selves experiencing a venture into their own subconscious. A time in which this happens is when one experiences a lucid dream. Overall, this image seems to be created for the purpose of sensationalizing the experience of a lucid dream and appreciating the complexity of the subconscious that is witnessed during such experiences.

The Beautiful Unknown

This past week, I was scrolling through TED talks and came across one that seemed particularly interesting to me: Underwater Astonishments. In this TED talk, oceanographer David Gallo discussed many of the intriguing feats accomplished by sea creatures. As someone who loves the mysteries of the ocean, this caught my immediate attention.

The thesis of this TED talk is not that deep as it simply argues in favor of exploring the ocean. Gallo’s argument for this relied on the idea that the ocean has been barely explored and that it holds incredible wonders. He pointed out that humans have only explored 3% of the world’s oceans. With so many wonders such as the interesting abilities and nature of the octopus or the cuttlefish already discovered in the depths of the ocean, the length of “astonishment” the rest of the ocean can provide us is unlimited.

The speech did not expand my knowledge as much as it expanded my curiosity, which I argue is more important. He did not come up with a theory about the way the world works nor did he propose some kind of brilliant solution to a pressing problem. While those are useful, he took a different approach. Instead, he ignited the audience’s curiosity. In fact, after watching this TED talk, I heavily considered switching aspects of my career paths. I will be pursuing information about the ocean a lot more. Instead of expanding my understanding of something with twenty minutes of knowledge, Gallo provided me with curiosity that could lead me to pursue hours of knowledge.

What made Gallo’s speech so effective is his use of visual aid. He marketed oceanography and exploring the ocean by demonstrating how “aesthetic” the wonders of the ocean were. With a visually appealing presentation, Gallo was able to make an impression on his audience. As far as weaknesses go, there were not many. However, I was hoping he would go a little more in-depth into the nature of the ocean or demonstrate other wonders of the ocean.

This demonstrates to me that delivering a speech requires framing the topics and arguments in ways that interest the audience. That is why hooks are so often emphasized. However, with presentations, while framing is important, demonstration can be a really critical component. Presentations allow the speaker to appeal to the audience in more ways than through words. In other words, there should be some form of demonstration in order to gain the audience’s attention. Demonstrations act as a supplement to speaking.

Obama’s Message to Black Voters

https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/videos/800533326754843/

Approximately two years ago, the 2016 presidential election was going on and the time for people to vote was nearing. This election specifically seemed important because of the two candidates at the forefront were not only perceived as unique (in different ways) but corrupt as well. The amount of drama that occurred during the 2016 presidential election seemed exceed previous elections by a large amount. As a result, it felt as if many voters became apathetic to the election and as a result, became apathetic to voting.

To counter this, Obama created a speech to the black community and tried to instill the feeling that voting matters and that “there is no such thing as a vote that doesn’t matter”. In delivering such a speech, he hoped to influence the minds of many black voters.

When assessing the effectivity of Obama’s speech, I personally felt as if it was effective. Although this video is just a small clip of the larger speech, I think it demonstrates many admirable qualities a speaker should aim to have.

The delivery of Obama’s speech was critical to its effectiveness. His hand movements communicated his frustrations with the idea that voting does not matter. Additionally, he rose his voice when talking about issues that matter and were “on the ballot”. But him increasing the volume of his voice did not come off crazy or off-putting. Instead, his use of volume helped inspire the crowd he was speaking to. He emanated passion for the audience to absorb. He also used vocal variety to convey rationality and care while also conveying passion and frustration. This allowed people to see Obama as human and relate to what he was talking about better. I know that we are only supposed to analyze one aspect of his delivery but I think all these aspects complemented and completed each other.

As for his organization, Obama structured his speech around what is “on the ballot”. He used repetition to make the audience remember the words “on the ballot”. This is effective because it not only makes the audience specifically consider something about voting but something that voting effects or impacts that can be relevant to their own life. Without this structure, it is unlikely for his speech to have been as effective as many would not remember nor feel the urge to contemplate “the ballot”.

In addition to delivery and organization, Obama’s speech also used different methods of persuasion. He started out by addressing the mindset his audience tends to have: the idea that their vote does not matter. By addressing this head on, he aimed to persuade the audience that their mindset on voting is not only negative but wrong. I think he could have done this more effectively but it certainly was more helpful than destructive. Also, when he talked about the importance of voting, the issues he talked about that were on the ballot were relevant to the black community more than other individuals. Issues regarding democracy, justice, education. and incarceration are all issues that are known to be specifically relevant to the black community.

Overall I think Obama’s speech was quite effective. While it was not as good in persuasive appeal as it could have been, as far as speeches go, I think his speech was more effective than most speeches given by public speakers.