Zinsser NPR Story/Memoir

William Zinsser’s thoughts about memoir helped me understand the purpose and meaning of one much more. I agree that a bad memoir whines because it doesn’t provide the reader with anything to take away from it. When writers dwell on the people and things that they feel hatred for or events that upset them, it is more of a soap opera than a memoir. But, when writers can take those harsh experiences and turn them into something deeper, both they and the reader benefit. The writer is able to use the memoir to achieve a revelation of their life. It can also be a healing process as it allows them to confront and overcome their issues. The reader is able to relate and have a better understanding of what makes this writer’s life meaningful to them. They can connect the truthfulness in the memoir and identify their own revelations.

My intent in writing this memoir is to hopefully tap into parts of my life that I may not spend enough time evaluating and recognizing the significance in. I’d like to make some discoveries into what has formed who I am. By writing honestly and wholeheartedly, I should be able to open up more and have a more freeing outlook on some experiences that I may have suppressed or ignored the importance of. I hope to come to some conclusions about life that could make me see things differently or give me new attitudes towards the future. 

Memorable Day

The sun was beating down on my backyard so much that my skin felt like it was being burnt as soon as I walked out of the house in my swim trunks. I lathered on three squirts of Coppertone sunscreen and inhaled the smell of it along with the fresh lilacs that my mom planted in the flower box. It was the smell of July that I craved all through the winter. I couldn’t stand in one place for very long because the deck was scalding hot on the bottom of my feet. I did a little hop every 20 seconds to give them relief and was happy to see my dad bring out the garden hose. He sprayed my feet with a rush of icy water and shivered as the burning went away.

My friends Jessica and Nick waved hello as they came through the swinging fence door just like they usually did most days during those summers back in elementary school. They were only one street over in my neighborhood. Jessica would have her oversized pink and purple towel wrapped around her and Nick would have his goggles in place over his eyes, ready to jump in our round, above-ground pool. 

Today we had something new to try. The afternoon before we had rode our bikes to the “Four Quarters” store and bought five packs of the balloons that had a rubber band at the end of them so you could bounce them back and forth off your hand really fast. We were going to fill them up with the hose and have a water balloon fight. I stuck the hose in the opening of the first balloon and let it fill up. Nick and Jessica held it in place as we were suddenly stunned. It just kept growing. It became the size of a large watermelon. These were no ordinary balloons. We laughed historically as all three of us collectively poked it and made it wiggle. We couldn’t have a water balloon fight as it was probably 30 pounds, so we rolled it over to where the deck met the edge of the pool and let it splash in, making the same noise we did as we cannonballed in after it. We spent the day swimming around this giant green blob floating in the water, too fascinated to do anything else.

VR Project

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59810251@N02/

"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker was an interesting story about family relationship and heritage. Walker’s style of writing made me first a bit confused at who was narrating the story but I soon came to find out, that it was the mother. I was kind of surprised because her thoughts and opinions were very real and true without any sugar-coating like most mothers. It was kind of harsh the metaphors she was comparing her children to, such as the when she compares Maggie to a lame animal. Yet, the mother’s opinions really allow the reader to understand each family member’s role and dynamic between them.Obviously, Dee is the distinguished, knowledgable, confident one who is fed up with the lifestyle her mother and sister continue to live. She wants to break free and be prosperous while her family remains at home sulking in what they’ve always known. 

Walker uses this essay very well as a vehicle for personal exploration throughout.  She seems to break everyone down so that the reader can fully understand them. Dee, the confident one, Maggie, the insecure and quiet one, and the mother, a tough working woman who only dreams of living a glamorous life and being “the way my daughter always wanted me to be.” There are many fascinating dynamics in this family and Walker makes them known and relatable. The highlight is the situation with the quilt. Dee wants to hang up and preserve the history, getting a wonderful decoration for her fabulous home she never had. The mother wants it for Maggie and her new husband, putting it to good use as it was made for. These conflicting views are presented to the reader to decide who is right, and they are definitely relatable to every family.

New Photo Project Topic

I will show our huge dependance on technology and by doing so, try to see if it is consuming us too much. I will use pathos to show the ways that we are ignoring real life when we become too obsessed with technology. I will use logos to help the viewer understand and realize how it is mostly inescapable. Regarding social context, the topic is very relevant because everyone relies on technology somehow and become attached.

World Trade Center "Dust Man"

This photo was taken the morning of September 11th, 2001. The business man seen here had just evacuated the North Tower of the World Trade Center after it had been struck. As he walked away from the site, the South Tower had collapsed, flooding the area with dust and debris. 

There is an odd feeling that this photo evokes. It portrays how the country’s daily routine had been interrupted tremendously. The clock in the background says 10:14 A.M. which allows us to relate to the man as we can all remember the morning of 9-11, where we were, and what we were doing. We get a sense of the confusion and disbelief that took place that morning. He doesn’t take on any drastic reaction, instead, still holds his briefcase at his side as if it was a typical day. 

His bright red face and mouth covered by a napkin gives us an indication of his inner struggle to comprehend all that is taking place. We can imagine that sensation he must be experiencing, where you suddenly enter a state of being where all sound and feeling is wiped away, and you only focus on the mental processing of what you see.

The photo strikes such a chord in us all because we had not been, nor are we now, accustomed to terror attacks of this magnitude on American territory. It gives Americans a whole new perception of terror. It can be very surreal watching people of catastrophes in foreign parts of the world and with so many new images circulating through the media daily we tend to become desensitized. Yet, now having a personal experience of terror so close to home, it gave us a stronger and more relatable connection with other humans across the world who witness these very real and widely impacting occurrences.

Visual Rhetoric Photo Project Idea

For the visual rhetoric photo project I’ve chosen to take pictures of environmental problems that we are facing and the reasons that they’ve come to be. From air or water pollution to the trash on the streets. I want to highlight the disrespect towards nature and the ways that we neglect our environment even when we may not realize it. I think that by viewing these photos and seeing what is wrong, it will be easier to recognize every day because especially here in the city, these problems blend in so much. 

I plan to use ethos by backing up my photos with a paper that can show truth and explanation to the photos. I will use pathos in my photos to show the unfortunate consequences of some of our actions. Finally, I hope to have logos in the photos to make awareness of and spark better actions instead of continuing to create the environmental problems. Context definitely affects the construction and delivery of my message as this is an enormous issue for this century. We are flooded with messages and signs telling us about the environment and these are problems that are only going to grow more if more action is not taken.

"Grande Hotel" Photo

When I walked up to the photo entitled Grande Hotel in the Museum of Contemporary Photography on Thursday, my eyes widened and my jaw dropped a little. I was taken aback by the beauty of the architecture in what seemed to be a spacious, round hotel lobby with a grand circular staircase, gleaming from the wealth of sunlight flowing in from some sort of open-air ceiling from high above. The sunlight is what makes the photo so fascinating. I first recognized the tranquility and peacefulness from the light and the steps ascending towards it. It appeared very lively and welcoming as if many people would normally congregate there. After a moment though, a strong contrast sunk in. The bright shining light was so opposite to the dark unfinished concrete floor and walls that soon came into focus. There were scraps of trash on the floor and a cut out in the wall for an elevator that surely wasn’t operating. The place was abandoned and desolate.

Although it seems like there should be just a feeling of emptiness, there is a sacredness that makes this place much more striking and meaningful. The photo greatly symbolizes the potential and worth of Africa, though being such a distraught land. I felt the purpose and goal of what the architect of the hotel wanted to achieve, even though there were obviously no resources and ability to cultivate it into a functioning place of business. The photographer captured a kind of a metaphor for Africa itself, highlighting both personal and social emotions. There are many people who lack so many essentials, they cannot manage life enough to be prosperous. Yet, they have faith and willpower running though their veins. I can understand that there is a connection between the African people’s belief in a better future and the hotel staircase in the photo, which if climbed, would seem to rise you up from the darkness and into the light.

Visual Rhetoric Map

When I walk to school everyday, I have many encounters with visual rhetoric. Advertisements for different restaurants and stores have the greatest effect on me, because I tend to get lured in, wanting to buy something. When I walk out of the Dwight and take a left on Clark St. I see a large Target billboard saying “Get Fresh” promoting their grocery section. It shows a delicious breakfast with eggs, bacon, and tons of fresh fruit. It always makes me hungry for a good breakfast. I still feel this way even after I’ve been to Target’s grocery section and did not exactly find all that was in the ad in stock and available.

I then turn right onto Harrison and my next encounter would be with Starbuck’s. There seems to be an aura emanating from the coffee shop. The colors, the chalkboard menus, and the advertisements all work together to make passing people think that it is more than just a coffee shop. Currently, their advertisements use imagery and pathos to evoke the sense of winter along with something like a hot caramel mocha, as if saying if you are cold then walk right in because you can’t resist this drink.

I then turn left on State and pass by CVS Pharmacy. Their signs evoke a great sense of ethos and pathos. The one image that I remember is of a friendly pharmacist helping out a customer. They want me to know that if I have a question or need something, they are experienced and are able to assist me.

Finally, before I enter the 33 Congress building, I pass my Panera Bread. They want their customers to feel welcome and enjoy tasty, comforting food. Their ads detail this by giving a close up view of their newest dish and explaining in a few words why it’s so good.