6th Blog Post

When we look to examine the videos we picked even further, we can relate the process to how we analyzed the piece of art, Breach. When I first thought about Breach, I thought about how people don't even notice it. Then I thought about the fair amount of people that are walking on campus might take a second to glance at the silver tree and some would just continue walking. Where others might continue walking thinking about the tree. The majority of the college students, professors, and visitors that walk past are most likely not going to stop and take time to analyze the heck out of it like we did in class.

When you relate that back to our videos, it is the exact same. There are a lot of people that don't even watch music videos. Then there are some that watch it and move on, some that watch it and think about it for a bit and maybe some that watch it and process the story they just watched and listened to be unfolded.

We are chosing to join the group of people that pick apart the video and think about it in each and every aspect. I just took time to rewatch the video I chose before starting this blog, and I watched it from the analyzing position just as we did with Breach.

When I was paying attention to Colbie, I felt her emotions travel farther away from awkward as the video progressed. It brought you to a sort of ease as you were watching it. That part also followed along with the lyrics about being scared at first and thinking that she is falling for him as the video and the realtionship go on.

Another part that really connects with the lyrics is when they arrive at the beach and Colbie's lyrics say "All around us I see nobody..." At this point in the video, the people standing around at the beach are laughing and making fun of the guy, but it doesn't even phase Colbie. It shows that she doesn't care.

When the lyrics connect with the video, it helps to explain overall. But when you take away the video and only have the words to listen to, its a different story. When we looked at the tree statue, we had nothing else to go with. We basically created our own "music video" for it. We used our book to help and came up with different arguments as to what the purpose of the tree statue was. When you are listening to a song, you can make up whatever story you want, until you see the video, you have no clue what the artists approach was on it. We take their hints to try and create our idea of what they are trying to say.

5th Blog Post

When looking at the video uploaded in the previous blog through the viewpoint of our text, Compose Advocate and Design, there are three rhetorical designs we focus in on. They are ethos, pathos and logos.

The book defines ethos as 'what your audience sees in you.' Like discussed in the last blog post, different video viewers will think different things, which is the case in any video. But with this one and connecting ethos, it is critical on what people will think of Colbie Cailat, the artist rather than the video itself. It is looking past the video and more at the why she made the video like she did. They can either agree with her idea of using a guy like she did that isn't the typical Ken doll figure or they can disagree with her idea of switching it up. No matter what, there will be some people that feel one way and some that feel the other.

Logos in our text is defined as 'the reason and structure in arguments.' The connection to the Fallin' For You video is thinking about why Colbie chose to use the guy she did. What is the reason for going against the norm and picking a new face? Without having an explanation from Colbie as to why she did that, we can't officially know. The logos of it all is that we have to decide for ourselves why she did it. Having that be the case, misinterpreted reasons will be made. That's a for sure thing. Colbie takes the risk of making the video knowing that from the beginning. To me, that shows that she really doesn't care what people think of her or if they judge her in the wrong way. While talking about all of this we should remember that people might not even have a problem with what Colbie did with her video, because personally I don't find it an issue at all. I just noted that it was a difference in the normal videos or ideas we think about today.

The final rhetorical design is pathos. Pathos is defined as 'how your audience feels about what you're doing.' Some people could feel she is making fun of guys like the type in the video. The opening scene of the video helps set the tone for what is going to be happening in the video because Colbie is on the phone with a friend and she explains that the boy is something new and different.

Blog #3

When you think of a love story or a cute movie, I think most people would picture a handsome boy and a gorgeous girl, right? Well in this video, Fallin' for You by Colbie Caillat it is not what you'd think it would be. Colbie plays the role of the cute girl that is realizing that she is falling in love with a guy. As you listen to the song, you can't help but picture some hottie. But then you watch the video, and its totally opposite of what you expected. The guy is actually a heavier, weirder guy that is just against the so called "norm".

By observing this difference, we can tie it in to our book with social context of the video. Social context in our text is defined as 'everything that has happened in the world that leads up to your occasion to speak, as well as everything you and your audience anticipate will come after.' We are accustomed to the Barbie and Ken or Cinderella and her prince love stories, therefore that is what we usually picture when hearing a song or reading a book. When we find that it is something different, that is reaching out to a new level of context.

I can’t say I’m exactly sure why Colbie chose to do this, but I commend her. I think it proves a point to younger girls that probably watch this video, that to each its own. Whoever or whatever makes you happy is what matters. That is a deep dive into the social context topic. Per the definition from our text, Colbie technically didn’t know what the audience would think after viewing the clip, but I don’t think that she went wrong by taking this step. I don’t think people would view what she did in a bad way at all, for it teaches a good lesson.

The song is actually super cute in itself. Although the video is not what I expected, I still love the song. She really speaks on a topic that many, if not all of her listeners can relate to. She just puts a little twist on the video that makes us view the social context from a different view.

Blog Post 2: Web 2.0 Video

After viewing this video, I was driven towards some realizations. Although everyone would admit that the internet has taken over, Michael Welsch proved it and showed some reasons why that is the case.

One of the first things to catch my attention while viewing the clip was the music. I think it was properly fit with the context. It was a fast moving, updated choice that flowed with the movement of writing being expressed. When thinking to relate this clip to our text, Compose Design Advocate, the word purpose comes up. I feel like this video reiterated what we already knew but took it to an intellectual level. Speaking for others through myself, I obviously am aware that internet, computers, and technology have taken over our paper and pencil lives, but I scratched down a lot of different thoughts while watching this video thinking about why its done that and how. That is how the video affected me, being the audience while I viewed it. One thing I have realized from facebook and texting, is that we have become impatient people. Teens especially get antsy waiting for a reply or a response from anything. We are used to people texting us back or getting instant chats back, that when we have to wait for something, it's difficult! 16.7 hours a week is the average amount of time a teenager is on the internet. In some cases, the internet becomes a reason for procrastination. Many students, including myself, will find themselves at their computers to start a paper and end up on facebook for awhile instead of starting. Good news though is that we are skilled at typing fast which helps when rushing to finish the paper.

A major topic we've been discussing with our blogging and in class discussions after reading the text is the worry that our personality will be lost from this form of communication. But in the video clip, there was a scene that showed the words: Blogging...Hello World! Also the video displayed, "We are the web.". We, the people, are the ones creating the internet and the web through our blogs and other sites. We can make it what we want and it will represent us. Same with our blogging. The words I'm choosing to type and the items I'm choosing to link, represent me.

Another quote from the clip that stuck out to me was, "Doesn't define the form, defines the content." I'm not sure in the clip what it was referring to, but I think of it as WE don't define the form, because everyone is typing in the same blog format and about the same thing, but we define the content. We pick which direction we want to take our responses and we say what we want to represent our thinking.

Internet has obviously changed our world in many ways, but I feel that we are headed in the right direction and it has and will continue to change things for the better!

Blog Post 1: Quotation on Writing

"I am writing in the garden. To write as one should of a garden one must write not outside it or merely somewhere near it, but in the garden." -Frances Hodgson Burnett

I thought this quote by Frances Hodgson Burnett was a meaningful quote on the subject of writing. I also saw a connection with it to our readings from our text.

I see this quote as having two different directions you could look at it. The first being from the advising perspective of Burnett. She is telling the reader, the reader being a potential writer, to really dig in to what they are writing. The quote is expressing the importance of not just going half way and scooting around the outside, but to instead write from the inside. It could also be saying that you should chose to write about things you can relate to or have experienced so that the writing is firsthand and in turn more wholesome and realistic. It is not limiting to exclusively writing about familiar topics though. The quote advises you to put yourself in the place of the writing while doing so. This quote is similar to the quote "Put yourself in someone elses shoes."

The second approach this quote portrays is the act of practicing. Frances Hodgson Burnett then practices what she preached and does a good job of writing to the audience. In this case, I see the audience as the garden. In terms of argument, the only place I could see it occurring is with the fact that you sometimes have to write about things that you have not experienced or have any knowledge on. Then the question might come up, how do I write as if I were in that situation? You then should think of the purpose of the quote. It is simply about advising and practicing.

In our text, we read that "sometimes the strangest characteristics bring out the best strategies." Some might find an analogy of a garden as a strange example, but it is a general thing that everyone is aware of and can put their minds in that place. Therefore, I think this quote really can get across to the audience.