Having to analyze the University Bridge was not an easy task. Right away I knew I would be able to do a good job seeing all the more unimportant characteristics of the bridge, but that is not what the project was about. The more difficult part was to actually analyze every little part of the bridge to come out with a thesis. At first I did not think I would be able to do it but after reading the pieces of writing from Mark Twain and Mary Austin. They really helped give an example of what I need to do to try and think outside the box and get this paper done. After reading “Two views of the Mississippi” by Mark Twain the way he talked about how he can never look a river the same way again, and how he gave examples of the two different ways you can see it was able to open my head up to see the bridge differently. After a good amount of thinking about the different notes I was able to take down about the bridge I do think that I was able to reach some depth in my analysis. My final analysis about the bridge was the fact that I think it is more than just an overpass but instead a way to connect the students of Arizona State University. The Palo Verde dorms are so far away from the other dorms so the bridge is a way to make those students living in the north part of campus a way to feel connected to campus and the rest of the students. If without this project I could have walked over that bridge everyday during the school year and never thought anymore than just how convenient it is to have a bridge over that busy road. This project will definitely alter my writing process for ever. Whenever given an assignment I will be able to look at the project in many different way and hopefully have more to write about. I am planning on using this lesson on more than just this recent project though, from now on I will always try to look at certain things more in depth than I use to. I think that being able to views things in different way could definitely aid to my success in the business world. When needed to be able to solve problems being able to look at the problems differently than everyone else could be a way to get ahead and be better than your peers. Overall even know this was a difficult assignment I have never done anything like it before and I think it taught a good lesson that I will be able to use my whole life.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Analysing a Place Worksheet
Project #1 Worksheet
Your Place: The University Bridge
What are the intended functions of the place? To help students in the north campus to cross the street faster.
What overt messages does the place send (i.e., openly communicated through signs)? It is a major image of Arizona State University
What covert messages does the place send (i.e., hidden messages)? It is the connections between the north part of campus and the main part of campus.
Have previous users left traces behind in the place? Yes, there is gum marks on the ground, garbage on the bridge, and advertisements on the railings.
Has the place been re-appropriated (i.e., beyond its original functions)? It is still mostly just used to help kids cross the street without waiting for traffic.
What social or cultural customs did you observe (i.e., rules governing appropriate behavior)? It is showing the this whole community is connecting and no one part of the campus is exiled.
Who has access to the place? Are there insiders and outsiders? Anyone can use the bridge.
Who owns the place? Arizona State University
What is the place’s value (i.e., monetary or otherwise)? It is very valuable because there are a lot of pictures that the school uses of this bridge for incoming student to see.
Are there official representations of the place (i.e., online, in promotional materials)? Do they accurately capture the place as you experienced it? The bridge is pretty straight for I think most people who see it know what it is used for.
Is the place in transition, a changing place? It is not moving anytime soon.
What conflicts or tensions are there in the place? There are no real tensions at the bridge .
What is the place’s history? Do you see evidence of the past there in the present? There are older picture of this bridge but I think the sign has changed from Arizona State University to ASU
How does this place differentiate itself from other places? What other places is it similar to, but how is it different from those places? It is the only place like its kind in the area
What questions do you have about your place? Why does it have different number of steps on different sides of the bridge
Key Features / Profiles (taken from the Norton Field Guide (Goggin and Bullock) Chapter 16, pages 165-166)
An interesting subject. What is unusual about your place? Alternatively, is there something ordinary about it that you can show in an intriguing way? It is the only place of its kind in the area, I personally have seen nothing like it.
Any necessary background. What background information will you need to include about the place in order to situate readers? When and why was it built and who built it.
An interesting angle. Rather than trying to tell readers everything about the place, what angle(s) might you use? I can tell the readers more about the areas around the bridge rather than just the bridge.
A firsthand account. Did you interact with people in the place or participate in some way? What experiences did you have there that you can write about using “I”? (Yes, first person point of view is encouraged, especially for this paper.) There are always people walking across the bridge at all hour of the night.
Engaging details. What specific information must you include in your description of the place? What potential does your place have for the use of sensory images, figurative language, dialogue, anecdotes, and showing rather than telling? What do you want the dominant impression to be? I am going to talk about the steps of the bridge and the views from the top of the bridge.
Generating Ideas and Text (taken from the Norton Field Guide (Goggin and Bullock) Chapter 16, pages 168-169)
Explore what you already know about your subject. Why do you find this place interesting? What did you already know about it? I found this place interesting because I use it everyday and I havent really have seen nothing like.
If you’re planning to interview someone, prepare questions. What would you like to ask someone in the place in order to better understand it? I am not really planning on interviewing anyone about the bridge
Do additional research. Does your place have an online component? How else might you gather additional research? There is information given about the University Bridge on the arizona state website.
Analyze your findings. What patterns, images, or recurring ideas or phrases did you use to describe your place? What contrasts or discrepancies do you see? The main point of the bridge is definitely to connect the north campus to rest of the campus
Come up with an angle. What is most memorable about your subject? What most interests you? What will interest your audience? The most memorable is the fact that is was built with the steps the right distance away to help your back.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Analysis of an Image: Rolling Stone
This Rolling Stone magazine cover is one of the most conterversial magazine cover of all time. It depicts Kanye West, a rapper, as Jesus Christ who is a pretty big deal. There are some clear surface details that are being shown in this magazine cover, the first being the clear message that Kanye West and Jesus Christ must show similarities and that is why they are being portrayed as the same people. An easy explanation would just because the Rolling Stone magazine knew they would get attention from such a provacative cover. They knew that the christian religion would be in a uproar and that "any media is good media" in their eyes. If that was their view then they definetly succeeded, this cover will go down as one of the most controvesial covers of all time and never be forgotten.
There could be a lot more that is being taken out of this magazine cover though. For example Kanye West has a lot of scrapes and scars all over his head, this is to show that he has gone through a lot to get to where he is today. I don't believe that Rolling Stone tried to portray him as Jesus Christ, they were just trying to show the kind of similarities between the two. Also this cover could be to show Kanye West's arrogance, there are very few celebrities that would ever think to pose as Jesus Christ for a magazine cover but he was wiling to.
This magazine cover shows the way that the American people tend to look at these celebrities as such a godlike figure. The youth today in inner cities throughout the country are starting to look up to these rappers who got out of the same gang ridden places where these kids live today. These celebrities are started to take the place of religious figures because it gives them someone to strive to be like. It is starting to turn into a religion on its own the way that everything these celebrities do is worshipped and imitated. This can be looked at as a good thing or a bad thing, bad because religion has been used to teach right and wrong. It could be a problem when these kids are looking up to these sometimes bad men. If these celebrities use it the correct way by being good men for the youth to look up to it could be a great way to help aid these underpriveledged youth.
There could be a lot more that is being taken out of this magazine cover though. For example Kanye West has a lot of scrapes and scars all over his head, this is to show that he has gone through a lot to get to where he is today. I don't believe that Rolling Stone tried to portray him as Jesus Christ, they were just trying to show the kind of similarities between the two. Also this cover could be to show Kanye West's arrogance, there are very few celebrities that would ever think to pose as Jesus Christ for a magazine cover but he was wiling to.
This magazine cover shows the way that the American people tend to look at these celebrities as such a godlike figure. The youth today in inner cities throughout the country are starting to look up to these rappers who got out of the same gang ridden places where these kids live today. These celebrities are started to take the place of religious figures because it gives them someone to strive to be like. It is starting to turn into a religion on its own the way that everything these celebrities do is worshipped and imitated. This can be looked at as a good thing or a bad thing, bad because religion has been used to teach right and wrong. It could be a problem when these kids are looking up to these sometimes bad men. If these celebrities use it the correct way by being good men for the youth to look up to it could be a great way to help aid these underpriveledged youth.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Analysis of a Writing Situation: The Arctic Ice Crisis
In the article I read the author, Bill Mckibben, did a great job showing the reader how fast the glaciers in Greenland are starting to melt. This may sound like just another global warning article that we never have to worry about, but with the rate the ice is melting we may start to see some immediate repercussion in major cities like Miami, New York, and Mumbai. He helped show how unprecedented these new statistics are and how we need to start worrying about this major problem.
The authors purpose in this article is to mainly spread knowledge of what kind of trouble the world is in today. Throughout the article he really tries emphasize on how shocking some of this data is. For example, when he talked about how the scientist's heart skipped a beat when he read the most recent data on how the ice is taking in more sun rays. Another purpose of Mckibben was to educate the reader on different techniques used to check on the glaciers status. First when the he talked about about the rate that the ice should be taking in sun rays by how dark they are, which then he could use to show the reader how unusual these statistics are.
Bill Mckibben could be reaching out to many different types of audience in these piece about global warming. The amount of he talked about the different techniques in monitoring global shows that he is mostly directing the article more towards the uneducated in global warming. Then the fact that he is writing for "Rolling Stone" magazine which is usually aimed at the young adult crowd (ages 18-30) shows that he is probably writing towards that crowd.
There were a couple sources used in this article, first was Jason Box who is a Byrd Polar Research Center and one of the most qualified scientist in the global warming field. He started studying this subject back in the 1990s as an undergraduate at University of Colorado, the fact that he has been working on this subject for so long helps show the reader how qualified he is and makes the audience feel confident in all his knowledge. With all the sources Mckibben uses he does a good job giving their credentials to show that they are the best references he could have used in his article.
It is easy to use the technique of scare tactics in this article because with global warming you can always just say that the world is ending. By saying how the ice is melting at an alarming rate and the sea are going to start to rise eventually engulfing Manhattan or Miami is an easiest way to grab the readers attention.
The authors purpose in this article is to mainly spread knowledge of what kind of trouble the world is in today. Throughout the article he really tries emphasize on how shocking some of this data is. For example, when he talked about how the scientist's heart skipped a beat when he read the most recent data on how the ice is taking in more sun rays. Another purpose of Mckibben was to educate the reader on different techniques used to check on the glaciers status. First when the he talked about about the rate that the ice should be taking in sun rays by how dark they are, which then he could use to show the reader how unusual these statistics are.
Bill Mckibben could be reaching out to many different types of audience in these piece about global warming. The amount of he talked about the different techniques in monitoring global shows that he is mostly directing the article more towards the uneducated in global warming. Then the fact that he is writing for "Rolling Stone" magazine which is usually aimed at the young adult crowd (ages 18-30) shows that he is probably writing towards that crowd.
There were a couple sources used in this article, first was Jason Box who is a Byrd Polar Research Center and one of the most qualified scientist in the global warming field. He started studying this subject back in the 1990s as an undergraduate at University of Colorado, the fact that he has been working on this subject for so long helps show the reader how qualified he is and makes the audience feel confident in all his knowledge. With all the sources Mckibben uses he does a good job giving their credentials to show that they are the best references he could have used in his article.
It is easy to use the technique of scare tactics in this article because with global warming you can always just say that the world is ending. By saying how the ice is melting at an alarming rate and the sea are going to start to rise eventually engulfing Manhattan or Miami is an easiest way to grab the readers attention.
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