Writing Project #2

Author's Note
I really enjoyed working on writing project #2. I thought it was really fun to be able to analyze a comic and it was definitely something I had never done before. I think more times then none, we just read comics not thinking much of them, but after having the experience of analyzing them, I think I will take a much deeper look at them from now on. I thought I grasped onto a clear argument right away with no trouble. It was very evident to me. My struggle came with interpreting the argument and comic in CDA terms. I feel like we had a lot more vocabulary words to work with when we were analyzing pictures then we did with comics. I often had to remind myself that this was not an informative paper about the need to work out, but instead that I needed to be expressing how the comic proved its argument. After receiving peer reviews and advice I made some changes and additions to my project. When I first started the project, my introduction was directed more to the fact that comics don't have to be funny and that they give off a lesson with a funny manner. Although that is true, I decided to take that paragraph out and just dive into the fact that there are weight and exercise issues these days, which went hand in hand with my comic. I added some information on the importance of this comic being a single frame. I discussed how although we are unaware what went down before and after the comic, we can infer based on the single frame we are given. I included how I thought the single frame worked well with the to the point argument. I also messed around with the images to make sure they fit well within the paragraphs. I at first had all the images in the center and lots of space around them before the paragraph started again. I altered this and now have the images flowing into the paragraphs and I think that made the overall look of my writing project better. I also added some relevant links to make sure I was meeting the requirement. I included a graph showing the split between the number of people that work out and don't as I felt that having a visual of the break was useful. I used my conclusion to touch on the fact that comics can express touchier subjects in a different way than new or articles can. I left my conclusion as is after taking out the whole original introduction about this same subject. I feel that the pre writes, the statement of purpose, the peer reviews, and your comments all played an effective role in achieving my final draft. After my revisions and additions, I am very confident that I did my best work on completing Writing Project #2.

Writing Project #2- Rough Draft 2
Writing Project #2- Rough Draft 1
Writing Project #2- Statement of Purpose








Weight and exercise issues are definitely evident these days. People find themselves too busy to have time to work out when really, exercising just needs to be moved up higher on their to do lists. It has been found that more than 60% of adults don't get the recommended amount of regular physical activity and 25% of adults aren't active at all. (myfit.com) The comic is stressing that by having the doctor ask him "Which works better for your busy schedule." It makes the patient realize that they would much rather set aside an hour a day to work out than to die sooner than necessary. Every excuse in the book as been made as the comic below exemplifies.

For this particular comic, the argument is being made that exercise has gotten pushed to the bottom of people to do lists these days, and it is expressing the scare in doing so. The comic is arguing that if you don't work out daily, you will be heading down an unhealthy path. But how did we come to understand that as the argument? There are many things to lead the audience to understand what the comic is all about. For this comic, we of course are given words which directly explain the argument. The doctor is being the speaker which we can tell because his mouth is open and just from the context of the comic. He is telling the patient, who happens to look a little concerned and be a bit over weight, that he needs to start exercising an hour a day no matter how busy his schedule is in order to continue his life. The concepts and event topics of the levels of abstraction are evident. This comics is the same as many real experiences in this world, it is just up to the audience how they interpret it. The concept can be accepted or rejected, however and the same word may be interpreted differently by different people.



This comic is not about looking perfect or fitting the perfect body image, but more just about being healthy. We know this because they are not comparing the patient and his weight to any other person or the doctor isn't telling him a specific number he needs to weigh, or way he needs to look. I think that is a more effective way to get across to audiences. People don't want to be told how to look but everyone does know that they need to be healthy. By translating this message through a comic, I think more audiences might learn from this rather than reading a news article or watching a story on the news. We get those everyday, but a comic serves the message through humor which directly has an appeal to our emotions through pathos.

The fact that this comic is just a single frame works for the argument. It goes hand in hand by saying that it is a simple and to the point issue. There is no need to explain or go into detail about it all through multiple frames of explanation. Everyone understands it by one frame, or one person explaining it to them. Comics arguments sometimes get lost in a mess of frames. As you can see, single frame comics are much easier to understand. On that same note, with this comic only being a single frame, we are unaware of what has happened before this particular scene, and what will happen after it. It is in media res, or "in the midst of affairs." We can infer that before this scene, the patient had some concern about his weight. We also are pretty sure that he has not been finding time to work out to help his weight issue. After he has been to the doctor and heard what he heard, we then assume that he starts working out for at least an hour everyday, but because there are not more frames, it is left up to our imagination if he really does follow through or not.

Glasbergen, the author of this comic tends to have a lot of comics poking fun at weight or the lack of exercising. I think once he found one of his comics being effective to his audience, he must have decided to continue down that path. Also, it is an easy subject to poke fun at but yet everyone knows its serious. These subjects have kind of become his "thing" as he currently does a weekly diet and exercise cartoon for newspaper Health & Fitness pages.

We are all globally aware of the issue of not exercising, but it is much more effective to read about it or get advice on the topic from comics. This comic expresses the importance through a funny manner and makes everyone aware that they should be working out at least an hour a day in order to maintain a healthy life. So, why is it that exercise is becoming such an unpopular trend these days? There seems to be so many other things going on in everyones lives and working out just gets pushed aside. Take the computer and internet for instance. It has been found that teens spend 31 hours a week on the computer. I know for myself, it would be smarter to eliminate some time spent on Facebook and turn that into working out time and this comic has helped me realized that.

Citation:

"Definition of Comic." Babylon. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. http://dictionary.babylon.com/comic

Marshall Hons, Sarah. "Fitness Statistics." Fitness Statistics. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. .

Stack, Carol. "The Importance of Exercise in Your Life." The Importance of Exercise in Your Life. Ezine Articles. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. .

"Randy Glasbergen." Wikipedia. 10 June 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. .

Deleon, Nicholos. "How do you Compare? Teens Spend 31 Hours a Week Online." How do you Compare? Teens Spend 31 Hours. Cruch Gear, 10 Feb. 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. .

WP2: Rough Draft 2

A comic is a characteristic of comedy. Many comics are associated with humor, but some have a deeper meaning. A plus about comics is that they are able to express a touchy subject or a harsh truth in a comedic manner. How the comic gets its argument across to the audience differs between them. Some do it through pictures, some through words, others in one frame, when some take multiple frames. No matter how it is reached, an argument is made for each and every comic.

For this particular comic, the argument is being made that exercise has gotten pushed to the bottom of people to do lists these days, and it is expressing the scare in doing so. The comic is arguing that if you don't work out daily, you will be heading down an unhealthy path. But how did we come to understand that as the argument? There are many things to lead the audience to understand what the comic is all about. For this comic, we of course are given words which directly explain the argument. The doctor is being the speaker which we can tell because his mouth is open and just from the context of the comic. He is telling the patient, who happens to look a little concerned an be a bit over weight, that he needs to start exercising an hour a day no matter how busy his schedule is in order to continue his life.

When we put this comic in the context of the world today, it totally is relatable for majority of people. Weight and exercise issues are definitely evident these days. People find themselves too busy to have time to work out when really, exercising just needs to be moved up higher on their to do lists. It has been found that more than 60% of adults don't get the recommended amount of regular physical activity and 25% of adults aren't active at all. (myfit.com) The comic is stressing that by having the doctor ask him "Which works better for your busy schedule." It makes the patient realize that they would much rather set aside an hour a day to work out than to die sooner than necessary. Every excuse in the book as been made as the comic below exemplifies.



This comic is not about looking perfect or fitting the perfect body image, but more just about being healthy. We know this because they are not comparing the patient and his weight to any other person or the doctor isn't telling him a specific number he needs to weigh, or way he needs to look. I think that is a more effective way to get across to audiences. People don't want to be told how to look but everyone does know that they need to be healthy. By translating this message through a comic, I think more audiences might learn from this rather than reading a news article or watching a story on the news. We get those everyday, but a comic serves the message through humor which directly has an appeal to our emotions through pathos.

The fact that this comic is just a single frame works for the argument. It goes hand in hand by saying that it is a simple and to the point issue. There is no need to explain or go into detail about it all through multiple frames of explanation. Everyone understands it by one frame, or one person explaining it to them. Comics arguments sometimes get lost in a mess of frames. As you can see, single frame comics are much easier to understand.

Glasbergen, the author of this comic tends to have a lot of comics poking fun at weight or the lack of exercising. I think once he found one of his comics being effective to his audience, he must have decided to continue down that path. Also, it is an easy subject to poke fun at but yet everyone knows its serious. These subjects have kind of become his "thing" as he currently does a weekly diet and exercise cartoon for newspaper Health & Fitness pages.

We are all globally aware of the issue of not exercising, but it is much more effective to read about it or get advice on the topic from comics. This comic expresses the importance through a funny manner and makes everyone aware that they should be working out at least an hour a day in order to maintain a healthy life. So, why is it that exercise is becoming such an unpopular trend these days? There seems to be so many other things going on in everyones lives and working out just gets pushed aside. Take the computer and internet for instance. It has been found that teens spend 31 hours a week on the computer. I know for myself, it would be smarter to eliminate some time spent on Facebook and turn that into working out time and this comic has helped me realized that.

Citation:

"Definition of Comic." Babylon. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. http://dictionary.babylon.com/comic

Marshall Hons, Sarah. "Fitness Statistics." Fitness Statistics. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. .

Stack, Carol. "The Importance of Exercise in Your Life." The Importance of Exercise in Your Life. Ezine Articles. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. .

"Randy Glasbergen." Wikipedia. 10 June 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. .

Deleon, Nicholos. "How do you Compare? Teens Spend 31 Hours a Week Online." How do you Compare? Teens Spend 31 Hours. Cruch Gear, 10 Feb. 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. .

WP2: Rough Draft 1

A comic is a characteristic of comedy. When we think of a comic, we usually associate it with the idea of it being funny, although it is not always. A plus about comics is that they are able to express a touchy subject or a harsh truth in a comedic manner. How the comic gets its argument across to the audience differs between them. Some do it through pictures, some through words, others in one frame, when some take multiple frames. No matter how it is reached, an argument is made for each and every comic.

For this particular comic, the argument is being made that exercise has gotten pushed to the bottom of people to do lists these days, and it is expressing the scare in doing so. The comic is arguing that if you don't work out one hour a day, you will be heading towards death sooner than those that do take the time to work out daily. But how did we come to understand that as the argument? There are many things to led the audience to understand what the comic is all about. For this comic, we of course are given words which directly explain the argument. The doctor is being the speaker which we can tell because his mouth is open and just from the context of the comic. He is telling the patient, who happens to look a little concerned an be a bit over weight, that he needs to start exercising an hour a day no matter how busy his schedule is in order to continue his life.

When we put this comic in the context of the world today, it totally is relatable for majority of people. Weight and exercise issues are definitely evident these days. People find themselves too busy to have time to work out when really, exercising just needs to be moved up higher on their to do lists. The comic is stressing that by having the doctor ask him "Which works better for your busy schedule." It makes the patient realize that they would much rather set aside an hour a day to work out than to die sooner than necessary. Every excuse in the book as been made as the comic below exemplifies.




This comic is not about looking perfect or fitting the perfect body image, but more just about being healthy. We know this because they are not comparing the patient and his weight to any other person or the doctor isn't telling him a specific number he needs to weigh, or way he needs to look. I think that is a more effective way to get across to audiences. People don't want to be told how to look but everyone does know that they need to be healthy. By translating this message through a comic, I think more audiences might learn from this rather than reading a news article or watching a story on the news. We get those everyday, but a comic serves the message through humor which directly has an appeal to our emotions through pathos.

The fact that this comic is just a single frame works for the argument. It goes hand in hand by saying that it is a simple and to the point issue. There is no need to explain or go into detail about it all through multiple frames of explanation. Everyone understands it by one frame, or one person explaining it to them. Comics arguments sometimes get lost in a mess of frames.

As you can see, single frame comics are much easier to understand.

Glasbergen, the author of this comic tends to have a lot of comics poking fun at weight or the lack of exercising. I think once he found one of his comics being effective to his audience, he must have decided to continue down that path. Also, it is an easy subject to poke fun at but yet everyone knows its serious. These subjects have kind of become his "thing" as he currently does a weekly diet and exercise cartoon for newspaper Health & Fitness pages.

We are all globally aware of the issue of not exercising, but it is much more effective to read about it or get advice on the topic from comics. This comic expresses the importance through a funny manner and makes everyone aware that they should be working out at least an hour a day in order to maintain a healthy life.

WP2: Statement of Purpose

Why do we read comics? They might be day brighteners to some, may be a comic relief to others, or they could really serve no clear purpose to others. In most cases, the comics are written about a subject that we can relate to, but we relate to it on a different level when reading it in a comic rather than another source. For example, political comics are at times really harsh, or make a lot of fun at a certain political figure. Somehow though, when reading the truth through a comic it is found funny.

This comic pokes at the war in Iraq and the comic of it all is pointed towards Bush. I think political comics are the most risky types of comics, but in the end they serve a clear purpose to many people.

With the comic I chose for my 2nd writing project, the argument is quite clear. It is proving that exercise has gotten pushed to the bottom of people to do lists these days, and it is expressing the scare in doing so. The comic is arguing that if you don't work out one hour a day, you will be heading towards death sooner than those that do take the time to work out daily. It is hard with our busy lives these days to find time to fit that in and it is easily eliminated from peoples schedules. Why do we have to pick that to eliminate though? It has been found that teens spend 31 hours a week on the computer. Would it be so hard to eliminate 7 of those hours and devote them towards working out? The comic expresses that it is. After you hit 30 years old, you make the decision of either working to maintain a healthy life, or slowly becoming weaker. You decide which path you take based on whether you exercise of not.

The comic is showing that it is an older man at the doctor who is obviously not in tip top shape. I think the comic is a pure image of the fact that you have two decisions. You either follow the doctors instruction to work out an hour a day and maintain a healthy life, or you listen to his alternative of being dead and you don't work out everyday. The way this comic is formed makes it seem like it is such an easy decision. It makes it seem like it should be a piece of cake to find an hour a day to work out, but many would argue otherwise. We all have things we would much rather be doing than clear our day to exercise.
The main comic basically states the obvious. We all know that we need to work out in order to be healthy, but when reading this in a comic, we somehow connect to it more. Its purpose is farther than you would expect a comic to be. It is giving off a crucial life lesson in a funny manner.

Pre Writing #2

When we wake up in the morning, most of us probably think about what all we have to do for the day and sort of make up a plan in our minds. It usually involves things like go to class, eat, study, sleep, workout, do homework, hang out with friends, you know things along those lines. But what we realize as we go through our days is that we just don't have time to do it all. Then the problem becomes, what do I eliminate? The most logical thing would first be hanging out with friends. Then as college students, we might have to give up our naps. But almost always, people will quickly be fine with eliminating working out right away which is not the right option at all. So many of us spend at least an hour or more on facebook or watching tv during the day. But yet we say we don't have an hour to go work out? I am a failure at this issue as well so I was able to relate to this comic very easily.

The comic is trying to express the importance of working out even just for an hour everyday. It is putting it into perspective by loosely saying that if you don't, you will die. It is moreover saying that if you work out everyday for an hour, you will be living a healthy life and doing good for your body. But again, most of us feel like we don't have an hour. We think, ok if I give up an hour of studying then I'm going to do bad on my test. But really, you would gain more energy and positive vibes to help you finish your studying if you went and worked out. For most people, the problem is that they don't have that hour of workout time in their daily schedule and it takes awhile for them to fit it in and get used to it. The LA Times stated that you must do an hour work out for 5 days out of a week in order to lose weight. Experts have found that those that have lost weight and kept it off have been sticking to that plan.

This comic was written by Randy Glasbergen. He began his work with comics when he was 15 years old. He then created work for Hallmark and continued his work as a freelance cartoonist. He tends to specialize in 1 panel cartoons on a variety of different subjects. He tends to have a theme through his work of people that look quite alike. They have heavier set body types which makes for some really funny comics about issues these days. Below is another comic by Glasbergen. He has a bunch on diet and exercise.



The fact that the caption of these comics are being read in a "comic sense" is way different than if they were stated on the news or if someone just said this to your face. You are able to take it humorously yet you know it is true. People will probably be more willing to take the advice or follow through with working out after reading this and realizing that it is important.