Recently, I went to Disneyland for the first time. When I went, it was decorated for the Christmas holidays featuring a beautiful tree and lots of other little decorations scattered throughout the park. Disneyland is a really interesting place for this blog, as all of the workers must be held to a certain decorum that matches the rest of the park. They are all known as "cast members" and everyone is in some sort of costume, even the janitors and food vendors. This matches the whole magical theme of Disneyland, because the entire place seems magical. Each land you walk into is full of rides, shops, food vendors, walk throughs, and decorations to make the entire place seem like you are in a dream. Everyone in the park is happy, as it is known as "the happiest place on Earth". This rings right in with the ethos, as you walk into the Disneyland park and it seems like everyone is overly thrilled to be there, giving the park the credibility to claim that they are indeed the happiest place on Earth.
When in Disneyland, you must be happy. I think this is particularly important for keeping all the little kids there happy. When kids come to Disneyland, they expect they are going to the happiest place on Earth. They see all of these characters from their favorite movies, experience their favorite movies through rides and ride-a-longs, and think that this entire magical land is a real place where all of the dreams from Disney movies come true. Staying happy is incredibly important to keeping this dream alive, because while the little kids might be entranced by everything around them, if they notice unhappy people, it might break the dreamlike state they are experiencing.
Honestly, the entire feeling of Disneyland makes everyone happy. Disney persuades people to be happy with overly friendly staff, people making you smile for pictures everywhere you go, things like fastpasses so you don't have to wait in line as long, goofy decorations that make it so you can't help but laugh, and even bringing adults back to their childhood memories. My dad for example, is one of the most manly men I know, he spends his whole life outdoors skiing and biking and shooting guns, he even played football for Oregon; however, if you ask him if he wants to go to Disney, he is always game, and when he is there, he seems so incredibly happy to be there. Disneyland seems to bring out the best in people, making everyone happy through their persuasive decorum and particular ethos that surrounds the entire park.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Monday, October 17, 2016
Zhuangzi, K Burke
Zhuangzi (Trans. Burton Watson). (2003). In the World of Men. Zhuangzi: Basic Writings, New York: Columbia University Press 49-62.
Zhuangzi's, In The World of Men (2003) argues the importance of paradoxes in language. Zhuangzi starts with a story involving Confucius and one of his students to move through the importance of language and how paradoxes are relevant through conversation. Through this piece, it seems Zhuangzi is trying to convey the importance of paradoxes and how they can be used in language, along with how common they are in our world, in order to give people a better understanding of the basic writing and rhetoric skills. This piece is written for anyone studying language, the use of paradoxes, and Confucian thought.
"Do you know what it is that destroys virtue, and where wisdom comes from? Virtue is destroyed by fame, and wisdom comes out of wrangling" (50). I really enjoyed this quote because I feel like it is still so true today, and gives people an understanding of the meaning of virtue and wisdom.
"It's a worthless tree - make boats out of it and they'd sink; make coffins and they'd rot in no time; make vessels and they'd break at once" (59). This wordplay works into paradoxes and the confucian thought, giving a strong presence in this piece.
Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature, and Method. Berkeley: U of California, 1966. Print.
Kenneth Burke's, Language as Symbolic Action discusses how terministic screens play a role in our society. Burke starts by discussing a few important concepts that will come up throughout his writing and then moves forward to discuss terministic screens, what they are, and how they show up in society. Burke is attempting to get readers to look at screens differently in order to understand how the world around them works and how they see things differently than others. This piece is meant to speak to an audience of rhetoricians, people interested in learning more about the world around them and how they see things, and anyone interested in language in general.
"A 'scientistic' approach begins with questions of naming, or definition...dramastic, stressing language as an aspect of 'action', that is, as 'symbolic action" (44). This is the basic definitions of the important concepts Burke will be using in his piece.
"In brief, 'behavior' isn't something that you need but observe; even something so "objectively there" as behavior must be observed through one or another kind of terministic screen, that directs the attention with keeping its nature" (49). This quote gives an insight to terministic screens and the importance they play in who we are and what we see.
Zhuangzi's, In The World of Men (2003) argues the importance of paradoxes in language. Zhuangzi starts with a story involving Confucius and one of his students to move through the importance of language and how paradoxes are relevant through conversation. Through this piece, it seems Zhuangzi is trying to convey the importance of paradoxes and how they can be used in language, along with how common they are in our world, in order to give people a better understanding of the basic writing and rhetoric skills. This piece is written for anyone studying language, the use of paradoxes, and Confucian thought.
"Do you know what it is that destroys virtue, and where wisdom comes from? Virtue is destroyed by fame, and wisdom comes out of wrangling" (50). I really enjoyed this quote because I feel like it is still so true today, and gives people an understanding of the meaning of virtue and wisdom.
"It's a worthless tree - make boats out of it and they'd sink; make coffins and they'd rot in no time; make vessels and they'd break at once" (59). This wordplay works into paradoxes and the confucian thought, giving a strong presence in this piece.
Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature, and Method. Berkeley: U of California, 1966. Print.
Kenneth Burke's, Language as Symbolic Action discusses how terministic screens play a role in our society. Burke starts by discussing a few important concepts that will come up throughout his writing and then moves forward to discuss terministic screens, what they are, and how they show up in society. Burke is attempting to get readers to look at screens differently in order to understand how the world around them works and how they see things differently than others. This piece is meant to speak to an audience of rhetoricians, people interested in learning more about the world around them and how they see things, and anyone interested in language in general.
"A 'scientistic' approach begins with questions of naming, or definition...dramastic, stressing language as an aspect of 'action', that is, as 'symbolic action" (44). This is the basic definitions of the important concepts Burke will be using in his piece.
"In brief, 'behavior' isn't something that you need but observe; even something so "objectively there" as behavior must be observed through one or another kind of terministic screen, that directs the attention with keeping its nature" (49). This quote gives an insight to terministic screens and the importance they play in who we are and what we see.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Role Playing
Being a customer at a coffee shop is a common rhetorical situation people find themselves in, and one in which they must play a role. The exigencies of this role commonly include knowing what you want to order, going up to the counter and ordering your drink with the name of the drink, size, and deciding if you want it iced or hot. After this you tell the barista your name, pay, and then walk to the other counter to wait for your drink to be called. It is also expected that you take your drink and your drink only, in order to avoid grabbing the wrong drink so somebody else doesn't get theirs.
If you perform all of these functions, you are the playing the role correctly, and as long as you do this, you can ad-lib some parts. You don't have to know what drink you want, you could just randomly pick one off the menu. You can get creative with your name and tell them whatever you want. The decorum of the coffee shop does a play a role in how far you go with your own role playing. Most coffee shops have a very laid back type of feeling, so if you are in a Starbucks you could be conducting a business meeting, doing homework, reading a book, or meeting with a friend to catch up. Most coffee shops typically have kids in them, so it is important to keep things family-friendly, and stay mellow. If someone is yelling in a coffee shop that could be really distracting to the others in the coffee shop who went there for a quiet environment.
Your role in the situation serves the purpose of keeping the coffee shop in business. Without customers coming to order and spend their money, coffee shops wouldn't have the profit to stay open. The customer also serves to create the vibes going on in the coffee shop, for example, if everyone is yelling, it is probably not a very calm coffee shop where people want to do business or homework. However, if everyone is being really quiet, it creates a place of relaxation and great for working.
If you perform all of these functions, you are the playing the role correctly, and as long as you do this, you can ad-lib some parts. You don't have to know what drink you want, you could just randomly pick one off the menu. You can get creative with your name and tell them whatever you want. The decorum of the coffee shop does a play a role in how far you go with your own role playing. Most coffee shops have a very laid back type of feeling, so if you are in a Starbucks you could be conducting a business meeting, doing homework, reading a book, or meeting with a friend to catch up. Most coffee shops typically have kids in them, so it is important to keep things family-friendly, and stay mellow. If someone is yelling in a coffee shop that could be really distracting to the others in the coffee shop who went there for a quiet environment.
Your role in the situation serves the purpose of keeping the coffee shop in business. Without customers coming to order and spend their money, coffee shops wouldn't have the profit to stay open. The customer also serves to create the vibes going on in the coffee shop, for example, if everyone is yelling, it is probably not a very calm coffee shop where people want to do business or homework. However, if everyone is being really quiet, it creates a place of relaxation and great for working.
Gee, Tang, Lu
Gee, John Paul. (1999). Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method. New York: Routledge 1-39.
John Gee's, Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method argues the distinctions between discourses and the importance of how they fit into our life. Gee explains what a discourse is, how we use them, and the difference between discourse and Discourse. The argument about discourse is meant to give people a better understanding of who we are in order to better know ourselves and why we use the rhetoric we do. Gee created this piece for audiences of all people, in order to learn more about the human discourse and how it effects our lives.
"Rather, they are meant to be “thinking devices” that guide inquiry in regard to specific sorts of data and specific sorts of issues and questions. They are meant to be adapted for the reader’s own purposes" (Gee, 6). I like this quote because Gee gets across the true meaning of discourse, and tells that is is different for each person.
"When “little d” discourse (language-in-use) is melded integrally with nonlanguage “stuff” to enact specific identities and activities, then, I say that “big D” Discourses are involved. We are all members of many, a great many, different Discourses, Discourses which often influence each other in positive and negative ways, and which sometimes breed with each other to create new hybrids" (Gee, 7). This is the description of the difference between discourse and Discourse in a thorough yet to the point way.
Tang, Patricia. (2012). The Rapper as Modern Griot: Reclaiming Ancient Traditions. Hip Hop Africa: New African Music in a Globalizing World. Ed. Eric S. Charry, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press 79-90.
Patricia Tang's, The Rapper as Modern Griot (2012) argues the similarities and differences between modern day rappers and historical griots. Tang starts by explaining a griot and then explains the modern day rapper, connecting them through what they are. Tang connects the modern day rapper and the griot in order to show the way ancient literature and argument style recycles itself into today's world over and over. This piece is meant for people studying how language and history repeats itself, where rap comes from, and many others.
"Due to their ability to praise or critique individuals with their oratory skills, griots have traditionally held an ambiguous social status, both revered and feared" (80). This quote gives an introduction to griots, and it is clear just from this quote alone how you could compare the modern day rapper to a griot.
"Both Senegalese griots and rappers work to connect rap to taasu, but this connection seems to be oversimplification" (86). This quote begins to show the differences between griots and rapper and how Tang sees the important aspects that make these two things different.
Lu, Xing. (1998). Conceptualizing Yan and Ming Bian: The School of Confucianism. Rhetoric in Ancient China, Fifth to Third Century B. C. E: A Comparison with Classical Greek Rhetoric, Columbia, S. C.: University of South Carolina Press 154-194.
Xing Lu's, Conceptualizing Yan and Ming Bian discusses the importance of Confucian thought. Lu does this by going through different key aspects of Confucian thought and important works that came out of the School of Confucianism over time. This importance of this piece is to make readers aware of Confucius' works, in order to understand how rhetoricians under him worked. This piece is vital to anyone trying to understand historical rhetoric, Confucius, Yan, and Ming Bian.
"Confucianism has lost its place as a state ideology and Confucian texts are no longer taught to schoolchildren in mainland China" (154). This quote is interesting because it shows the way history has changed recently in the importance of such a key rhetorician.
"Confucian philosophical views are essentially moralistic and humanistic in nature" (157). This gives a broad description of the way Confucian thought works and what people will be getting when looking into the school of Confucianism.
John Gee's, Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method argues the distinctions between discourses and the importance of how they fit into our life. Gee explains what a discourse is, how we use them, and the difference between discourse and Discourse. The argument about discourse is meant to give people a better understanding of who we are in order to better know ourselves and why we use the rhetoric we do. Gee created this piece for audiences of all people, in order to learn more about the human discourse and how it effects our lives.
"Rather, they are meant to be “thinking devices” that guide inquiry in regard to specific sorts of data and specific sorts of issues and questions. They are meant to be adapted for the reader’s own purposes" (Gee, 6). I like this quote because Gee gets across the true meaning of discourse, and tells that is is different for each person.
"When “little d” discourse (language-in-use) is melded integrally with nonlanguage “stuff” to enact specific identities and activities, then, I say that “big D” Discourses are involved. We are all members of many, a great many, different Discourses, Discourses which often influence each other in positive and negative ways, and which sometimes breed with each other to create new hybrids" (Gee, 7). This is the description of the difference between discourse and Discourse in a thorough yet to the point way.
Tang, Patricia. (2012). The Rapper as Modern Griot: Reclaiming Ancient Traditions. Hip Hop Africa: New African Music in a Globalizing World. Ed. Eric S. Charry, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press 79-90.
Patricia Tang's, The Rapper as Modern Griot (2012) argues the similarities and differences between modern day rappers and historical griots. Tang starts by explaining a griot and then explains the modern day rapper, connecting them through what they are. Tang connects the modern day rapper and the griot in order to show the way ancient literature and argument style recycles itself into today's world over and over. This piece is meant for people studying how language and history repeats itself, where rap comes from, and many others.
"Due to their ability to praise or critique individuals with their oratory skills, griots have traditionally held an ambiguous social status, both revered and feared" (80). This quote gives an introduction to griots, and it is clear just from this quote alone how you could compare the modern day rapper to a griot.
"Both Senegalese griots and rappers work to connect rap to taasu, but this connection seems to be oversimplification" (86). This quote begins to show the differences between griots and rapper and how Tang sees the important aspects that make these two things different.
Lu, Xing. (1998). Conceptualizing Yan and Ming Bian: The School of Confucianism. Rhetoric in Ancient China, Fifth to Third Century B. C. E: A Comparison with Classical Greek Rhetoric, Columbia, S. C.: University of South Carolina Press 154-194.
Xing Lu's, Conceptualizing Yan and Ming Bian discusses the importance of Confucian thought. Lu does this by going through different key aspects of Confucian thought and important works that came out of the School of Confucianism over time. This importance of this piece is to make readers aware of Confucius' works, in order to understand how rhetoricians under him worked. This piece is vital to anyone trying to understand historical rhetoric, Confucius, Yan, and Ming Bian.
"Confucianism has lost its place as a state ideology and Confucian texts are no longer taught to schoolchildren in mainland China" (154). This quote is interesting because it shows the way history has changed recently in the importance of such a key rhetorician.
"Confucian philosophical views are essentially moralistic and humanistic in nature" (157). This gives a broad description of the way Confucian thought works and what people will be getting when looking into the school of Confucianism.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)