this is a short poem about a gunner on a fighter plane during WWII. the first two lines, i didnt really understand very well. starting on the third line, he says that 6 miles above the ground he was awoken from sleep by anti-aircraft fire. i thought that the last line was very blunt. the gunner does not live through the fight and when the airplane is on the ground, his body and blood were washed out of the turret with a hose.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Homework 3/18
The Soldier
this poem is about a young man about to go off to war. he is a very patriotic person who thinks that it would be an honor to die for his country. he seems to not be worried about dying though. he is telling someone that if he should die, to think about what he has written.
Anthem for Doomed Youth
this poem is another about war. the tone seems to be one that is against war because it refers to soldiers as cattle. it also seems to condemn the soldiers who participate in the war before they even fight because in the title it calls the soldiers a "doomed youth".
Dulce et decorum Est
this poem is about an experience of someone from WWI. it describes marching forward until ragged only to be forced to turn back becuase of attack from the enemy. when they are hit with poison gas, all but one person gets their gas mask on in time. he describes having to watch his friend die and walk back with his rotting and stinking body in the wagon. after telling this, he says that the old saying of "it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country" is a lie.
Glory of Women
the first stanza of this poem describes how Brititsh women feel about their soldiers. they love heros, their chivalrous ways, and stories of bravery and danger. second stanza changes direction and describes a german soldiers mother knitting socks for her son. but her son is already dead on the battlefield.
They
in this poem, a bishop is telling a group of people that when the young men serving in the military come back, they will be very different from when they left. they have fought the "anit-christ" and challenged death. they will come back wounded and ailing.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Peer Review
Concerns about my paper:
i dont really have any concerns about my paper except to finish the conclusion of the paper.
i dont really have any concerns about my paper except to finish the conclusion of the paper.
Warm-up
- Identify the message of your poster as an imperative claim: Allow 18 year old adults to drink alcohol.
- Reflect on what made you choose this particular current issue. I chose this particular issue because it was one i actually had an idea about for a poster.
- Then justify your choice of imagery, colors and words in this poster. I felt that the image of the young marine would help to make the point because it brings a human element into the poster. The black marker didnt particularly have any significance but the red underline of the words vote, serve, and drink stress those points as something adults do.
- Consider the limitations of your media. What would you change about this poster if you were not constrained by the size, available materials and/or your drawing skills? Im not sure what i would change about the poster because i think it speaks for itself the way it is.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Topic Proposal Essay 2
1. Which object have you chosen? The object I have chosen is my own personal car, a 1991 Pontiac Firebird.
2. What would you say is the object’s surface message? In other words, what would you say is the object’s main purpose? The objects surface message or main purpose is to remind people of an American icon in muscle cars.
3. What additional, perhaps mixed, messages does this object reveal upon closer examination? Upon closer examination, one might find that through the years these cars have come to be synonymous with a redneck or country lifestyle.
4. Identify the features of the object that are crucial in your analysis. The key features of this object is the condition of the car, its appearance, and styling features.
5. Identify examples of important choices of design elements, such as but not limited to, words, color, and symbolism which help the designer get the main message across. Important choices in design elements include its aggressive styling, an interior that is plain yet bold and stylish, and its reputation for performance.
6. What is the intended audience for this object? How do you fit into it? The intended audience for this object are people who want a piece of history and enjoy American muscle cars. I fit into this because I have always been drawn to this vehicle by its design elements mentioned in number 5 as well as to prove the stereotypical persona of these vehicles wrong.
Thesis: Throughout its long history, the Firebird has endured many changes and stereotypes about it, but has remained a well-known name to American muscle car lovers.
2. What would you say is the object’s surface message? In other words, what would you say is the object’s main purpose? The objects surface message or main purpose is to remind people of an American icon in muscle cars.
3. What additional, perhaps mixed, messages does this object reveal upon closer examination? Upon closer examination, one might find that through the years these cars have come to be synonymous with a redneck or country lifestyle.
4. Identify the features of the object that are crucial in your analysis. The key features of this object is the condition of the car, its appearance, and styling features.
5. Identify examples of important choices of design elements, such as but not limited to, words, color, and symbolism which help the designer get the main message across. Important choices in design elements include its aggressive styling, an interior that is plain yet bold and stylish, and its reputation for performance.
6. What is the intended audience for this object? How do you fit into it? The intended audience for this object are people who want a piece of history and enjoy American muscle cars. I fit into this because I have always been drawn to this vehicle by its design elements mentioned in number 5 as well as to prove the stereotypical persona of these vehicles wrong.
Thesis: Throughout its long history, the Firebird has endured many changes and stereotypes about it, but has remained a well-known name to American muscle car lovers.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
The Politics of Design
Manifesto 2000
The designers who signed this manifesto sound disappointed at the public for always associating the message of the product they are trying to sell with the designers themselves. they want to refocus their attention to things they deem more important: environmental, social, and cultural issues.
Hysteria
Jeff Keedy expanded on the manifesto by saying that the public is getting hysterical over the work of the graphic designers becuase it is easy to blame commercial marketing for the many problems in the world. He agrees with the manifesto saying that it would be good for designers like himself to help solve the problems created by global capitalizism but it is hard to do so when the designers are part of the problem rather than the solution.
Light Unto the Wealth of Nations
this article shows how advertising and design have played a huge role in something that people once did for enjoyment and to celebrate the season. the marketing battle between companies has driven down the price for christmas decorations and the advertising campaigns have made it seem as though it is a neccessity to have these things. It has made it to the point that people are willing to pay to have someone professionally put decorations up on their house.
Are you ready for some unswooshing
The Blackspot sneaker idea is a bit absurd to me. Kalle Lasn's company Adbusters intends to make a shoe that rivals Nike and looks nearly identical to the retro Converse shoe. And at nearly the same price tag, the Blackspot sneaker will be slow to catch on with people. Lasn says he is not selling an idea, he is selling a product. while this is somewhat true, along with the product that he is selling is the idea that companies like Nike and Reebok need to change the way they do things.
The designers who signed this manifesto sound disappointed at the public for always associating the message of the product they are trying to sell with the designers themselves. they want to refocus their attention to things they deem more important: environmental, social, and cultural issues.
Hysteria
Jeff Keedy expanded on the manifesto by saying that the public is getting hysterical over the work of the graphic designers becuase it is easy to blame commercial marketing for the many problems in the world. He agrees with the manifesto saying that it would be good for designers like himself to help solve the problems created by global capitalizism but it is hard to do so when the designers are part of the problem rather than the solution.
Light Unto the Wealth of Nations
this article shows how advertising and design have played a huge role in something that people once did for enjoyment and to celebrate the season. the marketing battle between companies has driven down the price for christmas decorations and the advertising campaigns have made it seem as though it is a neccessity to have these things. It has made it to the point that people are willing to pay to have someone professionally put decorations up on their house.
Are you ready for some unswooshing
The Blackspot sneaker idea is a bit absurd to me. Kalle Lasn's company Adbusters intends to make a shoe that rivals Nike and looks nearly identical to the retro Converse shoe. And at nearly the same price tag, the Blackspot sneaker will be slow to catch on with people. Lasn says he is not selling an idea, he is selling a product. while this is somewhat true, along with the product that he is selling is the idea that companies like Nike and Reebok need to change the way they do things.
Car Culture
A Prius-Hummer War Divides Oscarville
It was a little surprising that some of Hollywoods big names were arriving at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in the conservative Toyota Prius rather than the flashy Hummer H2. In a business that seems to flaunt extravagence and the "bigger is better" mentality, you had to realize there was an ulterior motive for the these celebrities to appear in the eco-friendly Prius over the gas guzzling H2. And there was. Although it would seem as though these celebrities were making an environmentally conscience decision to drive the Prius, its not so. The environmental group Global Green USA had recruited the majority of these people to show up in the Prius, most of them being loaner vehicles. This means that the only reason these celebrities showed up in the hybrid was to boost their image and make it seem as though they care about the environment when in fact they don't.
Women Giving Directions: Now It's Time for Female Designers
After reading this, I felt that the author was right that more women are responsible for the purchase of new vehicles yet are largely left out when it comes to design. It would make sense that if women usually had final say in the type of vehicle thats bought for the household that designers would try to better accomodate women's desires in cars. On the subject of having fewer female designers working for car companies, I think it is mostly to do with the interests of women. It is not that women can't or arent allowed to design other areas of a vehicle. It is that most women do not have an interest to design aspects of a vehicle other than the interior. As far as Volvo's YCC car, although it may take into account some things women may be looking for in a car, its target market is extremely limited. Yes, women are directly responsible for 50 percent of car sales, but not all women will be interested in the YCC and very few, if any, men will want it.
Car Makers Aim for the "Love It Or Hate It" Category
I think it's pretty obvious that the way a car looks tends to have a big impact on how well a car sells. the makers of the vehicles talked about in the article are betting that their vehicles are so ugly that people will want them in order to be different. To some people, however, it doesn't matter how ugly the car is, as long as it has some use and value to the buyer.
My Life, My Cadillac Escalade EXT
I thought that this story demonstrates perfectly how a vehicles "cool factor" can play a huge role into how desired a vehicle is. The girl stated that having an SUV or truck is cooler than having a little car because guys like girls that have SUV's or trucks and its gets everyone's attention.
It was a little surprising that some of Hollywoods big names were arriving at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in the conservative Toyota Prius rather than the flashy Hummer H2. In a business that seems to flaunt extravagence and the "bigger is better" mentality, you had to realize there was an ulterior motive for the these celebrities to appear in the eco-friendly Prius over the gas guzzling H2. And there was. Although it would seem as though these celebrities were making an environmentally conscience decision to drive the Prius, its not so. The environmental group Global Green USA had recruited the majority of these people to show up in the Prius, most of them being loaner vehicles. This means that the only reason these celebrities showed up in the hybrid was to boost their image and make it seem as though they care about the environment when in fact they don't.
Women Giving Directions: Now It's Time for Female Designers
After reading this, I felt that the author was right that more women are responsible for the purchase of new vehicles yet are largely left out when it comes to design. It would make sense that if women usually had final say in the type of vehicle thats bought for the household that designers would try to better accomodate women's desires in cars. On the subject of having fewer female designers working for car companies, I think it is mostly to do with the interests of women. It is not that women can't or arent allowed to design other areas of a vehicle. It is that most women do not have an interest to design aspects of a vehicle other than the interior. As far as Volvo's YCC car, although it may take into account some things women may be looking for in a car, its target market is extremely limited. Yes, women are directly responsible for 50 percent of car sales, but not all women will be interested in the YCC and very few, if any, men will want it.
Car Makers Aim for the "Love It Or Hate It" Category
I think it's pretty obvious that the way a car looks tends to have a big impact on how well a car sells. the makers of the vehicles talked about in the article are betting that their vehicles are so ugly that people will want them in order to be different. To some people, however, it doesn't matter how ugly the car is, as long as it has some use and value to the buyer.
My Life, My Cadillac Escalade EXT
I thought that this story demonstrates perfectly how a vehicles "cool factor" can play a huge role into how desired a vehicle is. The girl stated that having an SUV or truck is cooler than having a little car because guys like girls that have SUV's or trucks and its gets everyone's attention.
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