Thlog Week #9

Week 9!! The end of the quarter is coming and it’s definitely a bittersweet feeling. I actually really am going to miss a few of my classes from this quarter - except Physics - and I’ve truly had a blast this entire quarter. Seeing as it’s time to begin the final push, I’m a little worried about all the work that is gonna be needed for the final portfolio, but also excited to improve my grades and kinda just view my progression as a writer.

I will say, that I am a bit confused between parts 2 and 3 of the portfolio and whether or not we’re supposed to have overlap between each. What I mean is, is part 3 supposed to elaborate on specific parts from part 2 or are we supposed to look more specifically into your comments and dive into the changes we made from there? That is the really the only part where I am confused, and the rest of the parts of the portfolio are pretty self-explanatory.

The google doc’a’thon is something I am really looking forward to as well. My WP1 and WP2 can definitely use some work, so I’m glad I can get some feedback from a bunch of different eyes, rather than just the standard 2 or 3 that we normally have. Plus, somebody may be struggling with the same thing as me, or asking the same question so it could definitely help me in more than just one way.

And finally, we only had one class this week and group presentations were the only thing we covered. I have to say I never really payed any attention to hedged language and qualified claims, but I see the importance behind it and how it may help in a lot of areas. Also, the commas one was super cool because I never really knew about the semicolons and the versatility they have.

And finally (this is definitely the last paragraph just so you know), I just wanted to upload a cool picture I took of the sunrise before I left home for break, so enjoy!

Thlog #8

This week has honestly been just really crazy and really long. My WP3 was so much work and it took up so much time, but I’m glad I was able to get over the hump called Writing Projects. Along the way, I found out how much of a pain the editing process is, and how horrible my voice sounds. But in the end, I really like how the finish product sounded (thanks to the reverb tip), and I really liked how my ideas flowed once I started talking. Overall, this project was a blast and I had so much fun doing it!

But alast *dramatic sigh*, there still lies more ahead. Final Portfolios are coming up, and they seem like it’s gonna require a ton of work--mostly because I have a lot to change in my past writing. Plus we have group presentations this week, and I think everyone was so focused on WP3 and finishing that last project, that the presentations just kind of slipped everyone’s mind. I don’t think we’ll have a problem getting it done, it just sucks that I haven’t really prepared for it up to this point.

But in the end, its pretty much thanksgiving break and that means that I can finally see my family (but most importantly my puppy). The quarter is almost over, and we only have a few classes left, and I have to say I’m really gonna miss this class and all the cool music that’s been introduced to me.

P.s. The Doors have become one of my favorite bands!

P.s.s. Here’s a picture of my puppy.

Thloggin' Our Way Home

Sadly, this is one of the last Thlogs this quarter. This year is moving by insanely fast, and we only really have a few more classes left. But we are on the home stretch and it’ll be nice to have a break for Thanksgiving and then Christmas.

We only had one class this week which kinda sucks because WP3 is here and I’m still super hazy on whether I’m taking my project in the right direction, or whether it’s going to turn out horribly.  As I write script after script, and try to speak and record, I find myself confused on how to really get into the “Podcast Mood”. I think the main thing is is that I find it difficult/a little weird talking to no one and trying to argue a point. I also things it’s  the fact that I know this is graded, and I’m allowing my voice to shine because i’m more in ‘student-mode’.  Also, the techy side of things, which I was super excited for, is wayyyyyy harder than I anticipated. But, the tech, just the like entire project, will be fun because it involves a topic that I’m passionate about, and me creating something that I’ve always wanted to try.

In terms of speaking or getting into the ‘Podcast Character”, I think the hardest part is trying to specifically stick to being a “writing/composition DJ” who’s trying to point out the rhetorical features of both pieces. I catch myself wanting to be more of Podcast Dj who is giving my opinion on this cool new song and article I just found. I have been thinking, that I should change my focus around and instead of going through all the aspects that are different between the two, I could focus on the similarities and show how musicians employ the same techniques (moves) that writers do.

Overall, I am actually enjoying this project a lot--despite all the work lol-- and in the end, no matter what my grade is, I think this project will turn out great. It may or may not just take about 15 hours away from my life.

PB 3A

For my WP3 I really want to focus on the topic of Gang Violence. The scholarly article that I found is titled “Listening In . . . to Gang Culture”. The main focus of this article is centered on why gangs appeal to younger children, and how the dynamics of gangs mimic the family structure that gang members sometimes lack at home. I would like to use this article in a podcast, comparing it to a song titled “Paranoia” by Chance, The Rapper. The goal of my podcast would be to try to mix different genres of podcasts, entwining a musical podcast (podcast that play music with little to no words) with the genre of a talk-show podcast (podcast that have all words for 2+ hours sometimes).

I feel that the artist I’ve chosen would fit in perfectly with the article and could potentially help to establish credibility. Chance would be a perfect choice for musician because he is only 22 years old, and is from Chicago-a city known for its high murder rate and gang violence. He has a daughter of his own, so he knows what being a parent is like and before rapping, he worked for the Barack Obama campaign as an intern. Also, in 2014, he was nominated as Chicago's "Outstanding Youth of the Year Award" by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. I believe he would be the perfect candidate to showcase a song from, because not only is he loved by millions of people, he also has contributed to his community outside of hip hop.

Once the podcast begins I would try to have a funny intro that would ease my listeners into the process. The intro would feature background music from some of my favorite artists, allowing some time on the background of the podcast. By this, I mean that this would be the time where I pretend that I’ve done like 400 shows and bring the parallelism of openings that each podcast normally has.

After I try to establish my credibility as an experienced podcaster, I would begin by introducing the author and musician, giving background on each, and then focusing on what the purpose of each piece is. Soon after, I would start the analysis, beginning with the similar moves that each uses, as well as elaborating on how the purposes of both are similar. Once similarities are covered, I would transition into the expected audiences of both. I would focus on how each genre has a different audience and each audience has different expectations that they’re looking for. After focusing on audience, I would move into the conventions each artist/rhetor has to follow in order to fit inside their genre and be successful. This would also allow me to connect certain conventions to their appeals and why audiences prefer specific genres over others. Later, I would begin to speak about and elaborate on the limitations that each genre faces. This would also follow the pattern of connections to the audience as the limitations of many genres are centered around the audience. As a final point, I would begin to wrap up the podcast by focusing on specfic moves that each rhetor performs, then elaborating on how/why they’re specific to their genre.

Overall, I don’t really know if I’m hitting the prompt enough with this idea. I feel like it may lack an argument, or whether I should even put an argument in (it may betray the conventions of my genre). In the end, I think there may need to be a change in how I approach this prompt, but I still really wanna incorporate it to music. 

Thlog # 6

So I had my first online class this week. THE AGE OF THE INTERNET IS UPON US! I have to admit that the online class was pretty cool and was an awesome way of mixing things up. It was definitely a little hard to get used to at first, but once it started rolling, it was fun and a little exciting.

I also have to confess that I am hyped for WP3 and the freedom we have. It seems a little daunting and it will definitely require some time, yet it may also be one of the most fun projects that I’ve ever done. At this particular moment,  I’m thinking about maybe doing something involving a podcast or stream of some kind where I analyze what a writer does (their moves) in a certain scholarly article, then relate/apply the same concepts to music (or maybe some other real-life examples) and what a musician does. My goal would be to have my audience better understand moves and other course concepts that we’ve gone over. I think I can successfully gear this towards younger audiences and hopefully create a cool podcast or two that expands on the course and also show off some super cool music that I think people will enjoy. I have done a podcast (more of a playlist) or two with my friends and so if this idea of mine doesn’t work out, then I still definitely wanna do something involving a podcast. I don’t really know if this is even hitting the prompt, but this was the first thing that popped into my head and I figured I should write it down before I forget.

Bob Ross vs. Disney

Some moves I see performed are the Bob Ross move of taking into account the real-world effects that interfere with the visualization of objects. For example, while drawing the mountain, he talks about how the top should be the most distinct part becasue the lower you go down the mountain, the more air pollution and other stuff gets in the way. A move performed by the Disney Artists, are the context development that they perform. By this, I mean that they try their hardest to get their pictures to looks like the time period they're trying to convey. ie. When drawing Sleeping Beauty, they mentioned going for a medieval look throughout, because that’s when the story takes place. They then said they referenced paintings from that time so that they can see how to portray not just the time period, but the style that came with it.

Bob Ross describes what he's doing with adjectives, sounding like he's genuinely enjoying what he’s doing. It seems less like a job, and more of a hobby to him. He talks about the process he’s going through in his mind, what he’s trying to make the page look like so that it can accurately represent trees or a mountain. In the Disney video, they make a point to mention that the artist must take out their individuality so that the piece can function better as a whole with what the other artists have drawn. The artist must then refer to tge drawing and work done by colleagues as they must match that specific style, then recreate it throughout whatever they’re trying to produce. Bob Ross directs his attention towards the painting, and what the best techniques would be to produce the best finished product. The Disney artist direct their attention towards conformity and fitting in with the presentation as a whole. 

The style differs between Bob Ross and the Animators from Disney, I see Bob Ross as more of a 1st order type artist who paints what he feels and uses adjectives like "happy" to describe the object he is trying to depict. The disney artists on the other hand, must follow a rigid procedure that is based off one another's work and is analyzed for the best quality possible. In a way, Bob Ross does the "One-Shot-Shebang"  that we talked about in class, while the Disney artists use multiple copies and rough drafts before they finally approach their final product. As a viewer, these styles makes me wanna watch Bob Ross more as he seems like a happier individual, somebody who is painting because he likes it, whereas the monotonous, forced explanations from the Disney animators make it seem as if they're getting teeth pulled.

Out of Class Journal Responses

Q1. So, in the end, how’d your WP2 paper go?  What were you happy with?  What weren’t you?  Why?  Be specific! (Remember: this is fodder for your end-of-quarter metacognitive reflection)

I felt that my paper went okay, it was very difficult trying to cover the whole prompt in only 6 pages, and I had to cut out a lot of the stuff. I was really happy with the fact that I improved my writing, and even if it doesn’t show so much in my grade, I felt that this WP was much better than the first one. I had better analysis, my structure was a lot better, and I believe the overall flow/tone of my paper was greatly improved as well.

Q2. Which 2 or 3 comments that you received yesterday were the most helpful for you?  Why?

Post your journal responses to your blog AND respond to two classmates’ posts (~75 words/response is fine.).

The Peer Review session was awesome, I was able to get new eyes on my paper, and both of my groupmates gave me excellent feedback that helped greatly. The best piece of advice that both said, was to expand on a certain argument that was more important (in the context of my paper), which thus increased my argument and made for a much more solid, fuller piece. They also helped me connect my paragraphs better, and have a more reader-friendly flow throughout.