Week Nine Blog

You had some really great responses to our question about Vincent and Jerome and how they compared with each other. I especially appreciated Tasha's post about how the two are "brothers" and Bonnie's point about how we are all, essentially, "invalid" due to the flaws in our human nature that cause us to discriminate. Everyone had great points! I would encourage you to read them over.

I must say that even though some of you complain about the blogs, the writing here is often stronger than in your papers--hence, one of the reasons why the blog is a useful tool.

For this week, please post a response to Stephen King's essay "Why We Crave Horror Movies." We will be reading it in class and discussing it. In this space, please discuss whether or not you agree with King's assertions.

Thanks in advance!

Gattaca Part II

Excellent work discussing important themes from the movie Gattaca! You have all definitely focused on some important underlying messages in this fim. Thanks!

Compare and contrast Jerome (Jude Law) with Vincent (Ethan Hawke). How are they similar and how are they different? What does the movie want us to understand from seeing these two characters and their stories side by side? Think about the word "invalid," as well as the ending.

Lastly, what is the movie's overall message? How is it relevant to society? Is it relevant to society? Explain.

Good work!

Gattaca Part I

This week we will begin watching the movie.

To help us get an understanding of what is expected in a movie analysis, let us discuss some of the prominent themes in the movie.

For your blog post, please discuss and provide examples of at least two important themes in this movie.

Merriam Webster Online defines a theme as: "a subject or topic of discourse or of artistic representation, i.e. guilt and punishment is the theme of the story."

Posts must be five sentences minimum to receive credit.

Thanks!

Week Seven Thought Question

Our assignment this week is to compose a visual argument.

This means that you will use PowerPoint, Paint, Photoshop, Frontpage, or any program of your choosing to create a visual with a clear message. The colors, text, images, etc. should all make this message obvious. Also, you must have a clear sense of your target audience.

Why is it important to understand visual rhetoric? Why might this be an important skill "on the job"? How can you use ethos, pathos, and logos in a visual argument?

Remember to post a minimum of five sentences, proofread closely for spelling and grammar, and try to raise interesting questions of your own.

Thanks!

Week Six Thought Question

Thank you for your posts! Some of them were absolutely outstanding! Excellent work!

Several of you had very thoughtful replies regarding Ehrenreich's essay and its use of ethos, pathos, and logos.

To continue our discussions with rhetoric, why do you think that learning how to analyze visual rhetoric is important? How is a visual argument like a traditional (essay) argument? Do you see similarities in organization, structure? How so? Refer to a visual argument as an example in your replies.

Remember, each post should be a minimum of five sentences. It should raise interesting questions. Be sure to proofread! Thanks!