The Curtain Closes on Summer

     It seems like just yesterday I walked out of Lawrence North and headed for the bus, knowing I wouldn't be in that building for another two and a half months. Those first few days of summer are the best...you get those random bursts of energy each time you realize that there's no homework and there aren't any tests to study for on your to-do list. You might even venture to the "dark side" and skip the last day of finals [heaven forbid] to eat at Mackenzie River Pizza Co. [mmm...so delicious] with one of your best friends...and then, [the guilt begins to creep in], if you're really daring, you might even venture to see The Hunger Games for the first time at AMC. This is all hypothetical speaking, of course. But seriously, those first five or so days out of school are amazing - summer training has yet to start, piano lessons are on hold, and a lot of kids are still agonizing through their last days of school. I remember driving around with my sunroof open, windows down, blaring my country music and thinking, "Wow, does life get any better?" Well, 2 months later, I know it does. Throw in a trip to Texas [I love the South!], watersports in Kentucky, and a few other trips and you get an epically-blended milkshake of epicness [oh, redundancies...] Add in family members getting run over by SUV's, attacked by wasps, and friends deciding to come to LN [ :) ] and the fun continues. As fall sport's seasons get up and running, classes begin, and daily encounters with this gross-chewy-spider-infested-worm-filled stuff they dare to call "school food" push their way into your schedule, don't forget to dwell on your summer. Remember the slap-happy nights, the days at the pool, the lessons your learned, the growth [physical and/or spiritual], the romance, the friendships, and the family movie nights that found their way into your life this summer. It's a new year, ya'll, let's get er done!
                                                                                                                              - Yours truly,
                                                                                                                                       Andrea

Blog #1

The image depicts a young, white woman with youthful, black hair lying on a clean, white floor. Her green floral-patterned dress spreads out across the floor and her hand rests on the red Hoover vacuum cleaner. There is a green bow on the vacuum; likewise, there are green and red bows on the white presents to the right of the vacuum. From the “Hoover” logo hangs a red bow, which causes it [the logo] to appear as a gift. The woman is reading a card and is content with her gift, as evidence through a slight smile. The Hoover vacuum is colored in a vibrant red shade, often used because it stands out to the human eye on the visual light spectrum. The silver tint of the Hoover’s base suggests its [the vacuum’s] “sleek” style. New items such as kitchen mixers, washers, dryers, and blenders are often made of a shiny, silver metal to convey the fresh, new and modern look, thus appealing to consumers; this vacuum is no exception, as its sleek silver base sends audiences the message that the product is “hot”, urging them that it is a “must have”.

There is quite a bit of text that accompanies the image described above. The Hoover logo at the top is shown in green, complimented by the red bow, to convey the Christmas theme of the ad. Beneath the logo is large text, written in bold red font – because it is the largest piece of text, it is intended to be the focus of the viewer’s attention. In stating that one’s wife will be happier Christmas morning (and forever after) if she has a Hoover, the text is achieving multiple goals. For those husbands who are struggling to find a gift for their wives, it serves as a practical idea. It is empirical for two reasons, the first suggested by the phrase “and forever after”. One of the selling points of the vacuum is its endurance – it can last a long time without needing to be replaced, thus the investment will pay itself off in the long run. The second item of practicality provided by the vacuum is elaborated on in the bottom left corner. The advertisers quickly zone in on their married men through use of the phrase, “P.S. to Husbands,” and suggest that a Hoover vacuum can demonstrate their care for their wives. The vacuum’s intended use of carpet cleaning meshes with societal the “housewife” expectation of women at the time of this ad’s publication, probably in late 1950’s tool magazine. In such a tool magazine, men would be primary readers and would regard the vacuum as necessary as they might a hammer or a drill. Going back to the housewife expectation, the women cooked, cleaned, and kept things at the house looking nice – a vacuum could/can greatly reduce the time needed to clean off the carpet as its suction capabilities are great. Thus, the vacuum was practical for such a housewife, because she would have time to relax and read a book or watch a TV show in the time she normally spent picking fuzz off of the carpet.

            This ad, as mentioned earlier, is probably from the late 1950’s. It is printed in color and the dress/robe style of the woman is modest and classic, unlike later fashions of the 60’s which are characterized by revealed skin in the leg and arm areas. The vacuum did not become popular until the 1950’s, thus this model was likely a new and advanced version of the original [invented about 50 years prior]. The intended consumer audience was primarily men, but also women. Women who saw the ad were taken in by its sleek style, but more importantly the freedom of time that it [the Hoover vacuum] could provide. Men, on the other hand, had jobs and relied on their wives to keep the house clean, so they had no direct need for a vacuum. The ad’s appeal to men, then, lies in the nature of the Christmas season when gift giving is expected among couples. This product was an easy and practical way for men to show their wives that they appreciated the house work and wanted to ease it. The intended audience was middle and upper class white Americans; in these families the wife did not need to work, because the husband had a well-paying job (perhaps as a doctor or a banker) and could support the family on his own. This is where the “housewife” role began to develop, as the woman would stay home, raise the kids, cook the meals, and keep the house in good shape. The price of the vacuum (from $86.95 up) was affordable even for most middle class families, as they could make a down payment and work their way up to paying it [the vacuum] off in full. In lower class and African American/Hispanic families at this time, there was a need for both members of a couple to work and provide income. The Civil Rights movement was underway, but had not achieved full success as many minority groups were still stuck in a cycle of poverty at the bottom of the social ladder. Because of this, there was little room in the budget for luxuries such as a Hoover vacuum. The large majority of consumers, then, were found in the white middle to upper class category.

            This ad teaches an audience of both genders, but specifically males, that a Hoover vacuum can ease household chores thus creating happiness through the freedom to explore new [recreational] activities. Typical to the culture of the 1950’s was attendance at movie theaters, dining at restaurants, playing board games, and down-time reading. Because the Hoover would minimize the time that a wife needed to spend in the house, there would be more time for such activities and thus a great appeal was made to the desire for “fun” inside of viewers. The ad also, as previously discussed, affirms the housewife role of women typical to the late 1950’s in middle to upper class families – it simplifies the previously-established responsibilities for household cleaning. The woman’s content smile, together with the large red text and the sleek, crimson vacuum, convey the above message ultimately creating an appeal [in consumers] for the Hoover vacuum.

           

Blog #3

               Print magazines, a prominent form of mass media, depict women as bold and capable members of society. Women’s health, beauty, and living magazines intend to persuade their female audiences that they will radiate mental/emotional strength if they act and carry themselves boldly. The age range of these audiences tends to be 15 – 25 years; this range is significant as it is the peak "mating" times in a women's life. Motivated by their desire to find a lifelong partner, women want to appeal to what society expects of them and thus go for the “bold” look. Women, as recorded in the Hockenbury & Hockenbury Psychology textbook, tend to have lower self-esteem than men, thus are constantly looking for ways to boost it (482). Women’s magazines prey upon this low self-esteem trend and aim to help women by giving them visual example of spirited beauty. A combination of empowering choice words and images conveys the persuasive message that strength is achieved through bold health and posture/physical gestures to female audiences.

                One of the more prominent women’s magazines, Women’s Health, recently ran an article about preventing sun damage. The article on their website is accessed through clicking on a cover picture, which displays a blonde young woman with a sun hat on her head and her hands on the hat. Her shoulders are spread apart and her smile radiates content – she is happy and appears to be completely “free”. This picture was strategically placed next to other non-human objects, such as a picture of carrots and another of the beach, in an effort to bring attention to the bold girl (she is appealing to societal standards and put on display as an example). As mentioned earlier, she is young and thus has a youthful aura about her – this youth appeals to young women who wish to prolong their child-like soft skin and facial features. The article goes on to include phrases such as “be a healthy woman” and “fight the sun.” The first phrase is rather explicit in meaning, referring to the “healthy women” depicted on the article’s cover – the audience is taught that they too can acquire that satisfied smile and high self-esteem by following the article’s advice. Thus, eating certain fruits, vegetables, and types of nuts becomes a more persuasive suggestion. The second phrase about “fighting the sun,” puts power in the hands of women, by suggesting that they can control their own exposure and reaction to the sun. Together, these textual phrases and the cover image convey the bold social trend and expectation of women.

                Though this is only one of many examples, it is evident that women’s magazines have an agenda to declare women as bold and capable. They achieve this, as suggested in the previous paragraph, by strategically placing images in their magazines and then picking out text that compliments the message being sent through the image. Ultimately, print magazines use images and words to teach young female audiences that emotional and mental strength can be obtained through bold actions and gestures.

Blog #2

                Bob Mondello, in his article Our Media, Ourselves: Are We Headed For a Matrix? states, “It’s as if we’re deciding en masse that when it comes to the arts and entertainment, we can do without the actual object that is the object of our affection," (Mondello, 1). After looking at two entertainment mediums, the e-reader and the cell phone, it does become evident that we are [collectively] replacing the “real” with the “close enough.” The potential problem with this mental method of substitution was foreseen as early as 100 years ago by writer E.M. Forster. In his short story The Machine Stops, Forster’s character Vashti thinks to herself, “The civilization [prior to her own] that had mistaken the functions of the system, and had used it for bringing people to things, instead of for bringing things to people,” (Forster, 4). In Vashti’s society, a car could be summoned to transport a person even a short distance. There was no need for fresh air, as the air in the rooms was automatically replenished on a regular basis. As she stated, things came to people. The irony, then, is that our American civilization has begun to walk down the same path.

                The replacement of objects of affection with a substitute medium has become increasingly common in the area of books. The use of the public library and bookstores has dwindled greatly in the past four years, due largely in part to the introduction of such e-readers as Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook. In his article, Mondello reports, “Sales of physical books dropped 30 percent last year [2011], while e-book sales more than doubled,” (Mondello, 1). Though from an economic standpoint this shift in resources only results in the decline of book-producing companies, this shift has huge implications for the American population. It is proof that affection for books is being replaced with impersonal object mediums. We are no longer appreciative of the luxury that accompanies an afternoon spent questing for the perfect romance novel. Nor are we inclined to enjoy the soft, yet “well-traveled” smell that pastes itself onto the pages of a Shakespeare classic. Though an electronic reader has no personalization or scent, we settle for it because it is convenient and time-efficient.  Secondly, in terms of cellular device usage, we are replacing humanity with text. The omnipresence of cell phone service has created a powerful, yet dangerous network for communication. For teens and young adults, the ease with which a five sentence text can be sent is beginning to outweigh the “hassle” of face-to-face contact. There is something to be said, though, for the bond formed when two friends, two lovers, two siblings speak side by side. This “something” includes vocal inflection, eyebrow wiggling, and hand gestures that convey messages in a method exclusive to humankind. When we put our conversations into text lingo, there is no room for humanity – sure, there are emoticons, but the happiness of a yellow cartoon face cannot bring warmth to a heart like the smile of a friend.  When we use cell phones to bring those we love close to us, a text becomes the object and the people that we once held affection for become mere pictures on the other end of the line.

                In closing, it is important to recognize that not all technological developments have replaced our affections for people. For example, the social networking site Facebook has made possible many relationships that might not otherwise exist. These relationships, including but not limited to members of a high school class, distant relatives, and childhood friends, are hindered by distance and Facebook has allowed for the closing of this communication gap. Likewise, it has developed a resource [as opposed to an object] for finding affection in those [physically] far from us. While there is a definite flip side to Mondello’s argument as exampled through this social network site, there are still many devices out there that are teaching consumers that affection for the person can be discarded, as long as the texting relationship stays alive. As explained previously, this mentally destroys everything that humanity is and settles for what is good enough. With this in mind, Mondello’s claim must be heeded as warning and should provoke an appreciation for the uniquely human qualities that can be found outside of the entertainment provided by technological devices.  

               

Blog Two: Learning Outcome One, Room Four

“Room Four” is a small restaurant in Indianapolis, owned and run by Greg Hardesty. It is by no means a fancy restaurant, but is described multiple times by the review’s author as “close to home.” The food served at Room Four is typically up the hamburger and taco alley; however one of the rare specialties is strip steak. The food, going along with the casual atmosphere, is served on a block of cedar and held on by nails. With a few exceptions, the author is confident in the unique, enjoyable, family atmosphere of this restaurant…an opinion that many of Hardesty’s fans would agree with. http://www.indianapolismonthly.com/dining/mainreview/Story.aspx?ID=1528941

This review addresses middle class families who enjoy trying new places to eat. Compared to some of the fancier restaurants downtown, Room Four may seem below the mark to those who frequently enjoy “fine dining”. However, for the family of five who is looking for some delicious food, it is right on the ball. The author purposes to convince readers that despite its [very] casual atmosphere, the food is delicious and worth the visit. He begins to promote this idea in the first paragraph when he states, “But when you are a chef who has racked up enough four-star reviews that you already have your own cutting-edge, postmodern “playground” where your culinary vision answers to no one, then just about any food you offer up, in any space, would draw a crowd.” The cooking genius of four-star-owner Greg Hardesty is emphasized in this quote, granting credibility to the idea that the food is delicious. The next two paragraphs inspire an image of the restaurant’s layout and design; parents can enjoy the plastic chairs and tiny kitchen, without worrying that their kids will destroy the atmosphere or break the dining ware. In the following paragraphs, the author discusses the quality of the food at Room Four. While the main focuses are taco and burger courses, the author also points out the tastiness of Hardesty’s “unique” creations -- he states, “How many chefs could elevate a schemer of egg salad on an English muffin to a righteous first course, topped with a silken slice of Serrano ham and a peppery tangle of arugula?” The role of this rhetorical question is to sell adults on the idea that there is food for all: kids can enjoy tacos and hamburgers, while their parents munch on skillfully-prepared ham and English muffin combinations. With the exception of a few kitchen mishaps, the author grants an overall positive representation of Room Four to the audience. By focusing on the “home” atmosphere, through descriptions of the restaurant’s interior and main course selections, the author appeals to his audience: families who are looking for an enjoyable bite to eat.
WORD COUNT: 350

Blog Three: Sensory Detail, The Gulf Coast Haven...True Heaven

            Upon exiting the staircase of your condo, the fresh sea breeze greets your face. As you make your way across the paved parking lot, a glimpse of the ocean catches your eye; the turquoise waters glisten, the sun creating sparkles on the crest of each wave. You reach the sidewalk and begin your quarter-mile journey to the beach, a book in one hand and an umbrella in the other. As you saunter along, you admire the beachfront homes across the street -- they are colored in pastel shades of pink, blue, orange, and green. Each home is different; some have white siding and shutters, others have tan doors and brown steps. Some are protected by a large, ornate fence, while other have a simple walkway. While admiring these beautiful Gulf Coast homes, you decide that if your Chicago plans fall through you are definitely moving to Florida. Upon arriving at the crosswalk you take a left and continue for a brief distance. A raised wooden bridge showered with sand and engulfed with palm trees welcomes you. After removing your sandals, you hurry down the ramp in anticipation of the beach that lies beyond it. Your feet are now submerged in heaven -- they sink deep into the sand's warm graininess. As your gaze rises, the ocean, vast and immeasurable in distance, captivates you. On the water's edge, two dolphin tails soar above and beneath the waves. The water shimmers and sparkles like that of the photo-shopped pictures in travel magazines. The sun's rays kiss your face in warmth and your skin begins to tingle. You think to yourself, "Who could have asked for a more perfect day at the beach?"

            This piece is intended to transport the reader back to a beach vacation, through the use of sensory detail. For all who have visited the Gulf Coast, the "fresh sea breeze" referenced in the first sentence is relatable; the scent of the ocean and gentle air on the face are characteristics that every Gulf Coast-attendee has experienced and can thus connect to. The opening sentences convey my positive attitude toward the beach experience. The use of phrases such as "the turquoise waters glisten" and "the sparkles on the crest of each wave" support this positive beach experience, by creating the image of a perfect natural landscape. The reader can actually visualize the sea-green waves and tiny spots of light atop each [wave]. Because of this, the audience is drawn further into the paragraph and can view the writing with credibility, knowing that my description of the ocean is authentic. After the first three sentences, I went into a brief description of the homes found along the beach. I illustrated these homes using color (pink, blue, orange, and green) to trigger that nostalgic, serene image in the reader's heads. All along the Gulf Coast, these quaint colorful homes are present and are thus identifiable landmarks to vacationers that serve to transport them back to a memorable vacation. The raised wooden bridge referenced in the ninth sentence is intended to capture the reader; the natural beauty of a palm tree canopy and the tingle of sand on the feet are simple pleasures that engulf the reader. This bridge also carries metaphorical significance; the audience knows that the final destination is the beach. While I take a mini-tangent in the description to focus on the bridge, the audience is waiting in anticipation to finally hear of the ocean's glory. At last, I bring the readers to their final destination: the Gulf of Mexico. By using phrases such as "the ocean, vast and immeasurable in distance," I wanted to make the reader feel as if they were a part of something larger than themselves. All of these instances of sensory detail accomplish my purpose by transporting the audience back to a nostalgic beach vacation.

WORD COUNT: 360

Blog One: Learning Outcome One, Preoccupying Opera: Youthful Acts of Dissent

This movie review featuring the 2008 Opera Kommilitonen! is geared toward adults, both young and established, who have a passion for opera. Kommilitonen! appeals to passionate opera-lovers because of its unique style; it is unlike other modern American operas, harmonically brilliant and marvelously lyrical. "The music," comments composer Peter Davies, "is brash and brassy." Unlike many of its' bland cousins, Kommilitonen! utilizes "pentatonic phrases" and "restless atonal harmonies" -- these unique qualities help the opera to go somewhere. The author states, "The way the opera cuts continually from one group of characters to another lends the work cinematic vibrancy." The cinematic vibrancy referred to helps the reader grasp the idea that Kommilitonen! is on a very different level than its predecessors. This comparison to a movie characteristic reveals the smoothness and developed plot that makes the opera so unique. The mention of the quality "cinematic vibrancy" is used to draw in younger opera-viewers; those who are less traditional would enjoy viewing an opera that is formatted similarly to a movie. Because this review purposes to expose the opera's unique nature, the author [of the review] opens the piece by dwelling on its unrivaled characteristics, namely a "demanding score" and its' "incisive, colorful performance." After the author has grabbed the audience' attention, he provides a brief synopsis which further pulls them in through the mention of various Chinese and Communist elements.  Finally the author concludes with the current movements, specifically the Occupy Wall Street, that connect to Kommilitonen!. This "current events connection" allows the readers, who might otherwise feel distant from the opera's plot, to relate. The review's positive representation of Kommilitonen! leaves readers, particularly those whose interest lies in opera, wanting to see it. All in all, the atypical brilliant nature of this new opera is presented in an appealing way to opera-loving audiences, sparking their interest through the use of music terminology and a reinforcing structure.

WORD COUNT: 317