Rhetoric 325

Blog Post 8: Website Analysis

                I have chosen to analyze www.anthropologie.com, my favorite location for online shopping, with regards to rhetorical media and technology standards. With websites whose purpose is almost exclusively to sell their product, the most important feature is user accessibility. This includes links that send shoppers directly to their products, the ability to search for something specific in a search bar, and logically organized, clearly indicated links that group products into specific categories (i.e., clothing, shoes, home, sale, etc.  Equally important—and this is something I feel may be exclusive to online shopping websites—is the ability to present all of this in a visually pleasing manner. Pictures of products must be large and clear, and the home page of any website should show the newest incoming product and reflect the company’s standards of marketing and advertising for its general target audience or typical shopper demographic. Anthropologie’s website meets all of these standards. The focus of the page is new product, specifically new looks for the holiday season. The look is both quirky and classy, appealing to the style Anthropologie’s target demographic, and while the largest part of the home page is not a hyperlink, it includes clearly marked links through which the user is sent directly to the new holiday looks the home page is pushing. Furthermore, the top of the screen includes several clearly marked hyperlinks for various categories of products, so users can easily navigate to the specific product or type of product they are searching for.

            While this website’s hypertext ultimately enhances its communicative ability, the hypertext is the predominant form of website navigation. There is a search bar at the top of the screen, however it is small and clearly not intended to be the primary method of shopping and navigation. However, the products are so clearly placed into categories and sub-categories using hypertext that users really shouldn’t need to use the search bar. It is ultimately to the company’s benefit for customers to utilize hypertext links over a search bar because navigating through a series of product categories forces them to look at a range of products, even if they are only looking for one specific thing. For example, if one is searching for the “Chardonnay Sheen Dress,” the series of hyperlinks necessary to go through to get to this product looks like this: Clothing>Dresses>Party Dresses. Thus, the customer sees a wide range of dresses and may be encouraged to purchase more.

Blog Post 7

I plan to develop a 15 presentation focusing on the rhetoric of standup comedy. My presentation will include video, secondary sources reflecting my research on rhetorical principals and concepts, and my own analysis. My presentation will develop an argument based on theories of gendered rhetoric and will take a critical approach to rhetoric, especially concerning rhetorical theories of power and hegemony. I now plan to focus on only two comedians: Margaret Cho, an Asian American bi-sexual stand-up comedian, and Chris Rock, an African American stand-up comedian. Both are known for being generally politically motivated. Margaret Cho is specifically concerned with GLBT issues and gay rights, as well as issues of race and gender. Chris Rock is concerned with issues of race, as well as social and economic inequality. My presentation will argue that these comedians’ stand-up produces rhetoric that identifies and challenges issues of race, difference, and social inequality.

I have decided to focus on one stand-up special for each comedian, and will focus specifically on certain bits relevant to my thesis, rather than try to analyze the routine as a whole. I will cover Margaret Cho’s Beautiful  and Chris Rock’s Kill The Messenger. 

My project will be outlined a little like this (this is a very rough outline):

1. Introduction and brief overview/definition of the rhetorical concepts I will apply to my subjects
   1. Critical Rhetoric
   2. Ideology
   3. Power
   4. Hegemony
   5. Gendered Rhetoric
2. Brief introduction/background information on my subjects
   1. Margaret Cho
   2. Chris Rock
3. Chris Rock bit #1
   1. Application of rhetorical concepts
4. Margaret Cho bit #1
   1. Application of rhetorical concepts
5. Chris Rock bit #2
   1. Application of rhetorical concepts
6. Margaret Cho bit #2
   1. Application of rhetorical concepts
7. Conclusion

The rhetorical analysis of the comedians’ bits will probably take about 3 slides each. The slides will have a limited amount of information, basically bullet points of my key concepts, so although there will be probably 15-20 slides, most of the information given will be oral, and I do not anticipate that the presentation will take more than 20 minutes or so. I also plan to use supplemental research apart from our textbook’s definitions and analysis of critical and gendered rhetoric, and so far have found an article discussing the craft of female comedians which you can view at the following link:

https://journals.ku.edu/index.php/amerstud/article/viewFile/2754/2713

Blog Post 6

Note: You can copy/paste your replies into the link above where it says “Submit.” I will publish your responses to my blog by the end of the class period.

Below is a picture of the advertisement that I used, found in Cosmopolitan

This advertisement for Bacardi Silver states that Bacardi is “Best When Shared” and claims “Bacardi Silver is ready when you are with a variety of flavors and tastes. From the classic mint and lime Mojito cocktail, to the boldly refreshing Strawberry and Raz flavor, these ready-to-drink cocktails are ready to bring the party together.” The Third Persona in this advertisement negates the possibility of a consumer who is boring, with a limited number of options. Thus, if your drink of choice is Bacardi, you will have plenty of alcohol options to offer your friends. This ad sets fairly high standard of social life. It implies that one should have many friends, entertain often, and have a variety of tasteful options while entertaining. The advertisement negates anyone who can not live up to these high social standards and thus does not have an enviable social life. The standards it sets up are neither fair nor unfair. They are perhaps unrealistic given the time and money most people probably have for impressive entertaining, but it does not display the sort of elitism and exclusivity normally seen in alcohol advertisements. 

Blog Post 5: Final Project Prewriting

For my English 325 final project, I plan to develop a 15 presentation focusing on the rhetoric of standup comedy. My presentation will include video, secondary sources reflecting my research on rhetorical principals and concepts, and my own analysis. It will be entertaining (especially given the inclusion of stand-up comedy bits/routines) but also informative and creative. My presentation will develop an argument based on theories of gendered rhetoric and will take a critical approach to rhetoric, especially concerning rhetorical theories of power and hegemony. By examining, analyzing, and comparing/contrasting three standup comedians (Chris Rock, Margaret Cho, and Ricky Gervais [probably]) my presentation will argue that these comedians’ stand-up produces rhetoric that identifies and challenges issues of race, difference, and social inequality.

Initially, my audience will, of course, be my fellow class mates. However, I hope to develop a presentation relevant to broader rhetorical studies and which could potentially develop into a larger project for workshops and conferences. 

Response, Brittany Trippe

When reading this article I noticed a few different things that I would like to point out:  Language: The language used throughout the article seems anything but objective or monotone. The language actually gives the article a feeling of larger significance and makes the topic at hand seem compelling and as if it is of the utmost important. This not only draws readers in but aids in the persuasive process.  Rebuttal: The rebuttal of this argument is stated in the second paragraph and begins with, “Then again, you can’t walk around New York without bumping into some demonstration, so does this protest deserve attention? It’s easy to say that these are just (mostly) college kids with nothing better to do…” By stating this and using a rebuttal in the article the writer actually creates a better argument for himself. In benefits the writer more than hurts his argument, which happens often.  Qualifier: The qualifier in the argument is written after the rebuttal, which again, seems to benefit the writer’s argument: “Similarly, these demonstrators are protesting not only for a cause but for themselves. Just as many young people in the ’60s and ’70s feared becoming cannon fodder in Southeast Asia, so, too, do many today fear for their futures. The figures are astounding…”

Krystal Tang, Response to Blog 4 

I completely agree when it is said that the rebuttal of this argument is stated in the second paragraph and begins with, “Then again, you can’t walk around New York without bumping into some demonstration, so does this protest deserve attention? It’s easy to say that these are just (mostly) college kids with nothing better to do…” This is after the qualifier and it definatly helps the argument, where at other times in other cases it could hurt the argument. I think it helps the argument the most becase the rest of the argument talks about how it can just not be college kids with nothing to do, strengthening the argument. 

Such direct qualifiers could be found in the strength of the argument in this passage “ The Wall Street protests are at least in part fueled by the knowledge that, for the first time in almost a century, “you never had it so good” no longer applies to the next generation. The victims of this collapse are not on the other side of the world; they’re the protesters themselves, their friends and classmates, sons and daughters. That’s a personal connection to, and motivation for, their cause that cannot grow artificially.”   

Saying such strong qualifiers such as “are” and “with the knowledge of” is harder to debate, especially when paired with quotes.

Blog Post 4

Note: You can copy/paste your replies into the link above where it says “Submit.” I will publish your responses to my blog by the end of the class period.

In the post below, or at this link, you can read the editorial published on the Washington Post online blog discussing the current protests taking place in New York commonly called Occupy Wall Street. 

Downie’s argument is ultimately that this protest has the potential to have a lasting effect and enact change. Although he offers several qualifiers and rebuttals, his tone does remain somewhat skeptical. 

Downie structures his article by providing possible rebuttal to his claim, acknowledging that many consider this to be just another protest that will die out and eventually fade in public memory. He then provides a series of qualifiers to back up his original point.

Downie qualifies his argument by claiming that Occupy Wall Street has the potential to be a more potent protest because those demonstrating are, in fact, the demographic affected by the very things they’re protesting. He points out that protests in the past that follow this model, including veterans protesting veteran poverty and most especially students protesting the draft during the Vietnam war, were ultimately much more effective. He also includes qualifiers in the form of statistics, citing unemployment rates and the fact that “more than 85 percent of the Class of 2011 moved back into their parents’ homes,” which I personally find to be a terrifying number. 

Downie’s qualifiers effectively provide validity for his argument, however he himself mentions at both the beginning and end of his blog editorial that Occupy Wall Street could very well be the transient efforts of students with nothing better to do. He does not provide qualifiers for the fact that the protest is “unfocused, sometimes excessive” other than that it is “fundamentally justifiable.” It is interesting to note that he only acknowledges the alleged violence directed at peaceful protesters from authorities in a vague, passing reference. The lack of this information, which could strengthen his argument but could also potentially leave room for more criticism of his primary claims is, I think, due to the fact that this editorial was published only online. If Downie had published this in the Washington Post itself, his claims would be publicly subjected to far more criticism and refutation. Publishing opinions on the internet is far easier, and writers are less likely to be held accountable for their evidence and claims. Perhaps Downie was aware of this and thus satisfied by what is fairly meager evidence for a potentially strong argument, just as protesters provide meager support for a potentially strong cause. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/why-occupy-wall-street/2011/09/26/gIQAWq5czK_blog.html

Why ‘Occupy Wall Street’?

By James Downie

You may have heard about the Occupy Wall Street protests, now entering their 10th day in New York. Several hundred activists have taken over Zuccotti Park near Wall Street since Sept. 17, and this past Saturday they were joined by over a thousand more. The NYPD, displaying their famously light touch, has arrested dozens of activists, including members of the protest’s media team, and even maced innocent protesters

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