Discourse #5

In the blog post “Kesha and Rape Culture in the Music Industry,” Morton connects a very specific idea created within feminist ideology and connects it with the culture at large, allowing the readers to learn about rape culture in way that matters to them. There is an intermingling of information of the court case surrounding the pop-singer Kesha who is suing her producer, Dr. Luke. While this may sound like celebrity media that has no substance, focusing on the fact that Kesha was raped and assaulted many times while working with her producer, the writer critiques the way the law is handling  it and how it is a product of misogyny.

Around half of the blog post is about the details of the case, from Kesha’s beginnings with Dr. Luke as a rising pop-star, to the current case and how there are many obstacles in her way. While this isn’t focused on the policies surrounding the case, and there is little information given about the charges besides what they are, the audience gets a stable understanding of the case.

Next, there is a focus on the impact of the case of social media and our culture. While it doesn’t necessarily invite the reader to become part of the campaign to aid Kesha, it is shown to the reader so they could make the decision themselves. The author also puts in their opinions of Kesha’s music, and how she is different.

In the last paragraph, which I find lacking, the reader gets a small lesson on Rape Culture. It could have even given a good sentence to round off the rest of the post, but it just ends with how disadvantaged survivors are when they speak out. The concept could have been condensed to something that fit within the style of the blog, which is medium and informal, but it isn’t there. Overall, the post is well organized for the audience, which are young adults, though it could have been elaborated to be more informational.

Discourse #4

The blog post “Real Education for Healthy Youth Act Fights for Comprehensive Sex Education” begins with a funny connection to the popular movie, Mean Girls. While the reader might chuckle a bit at the line and the GIF, the writer does bring to light that this problem isn’t something that shows up on a teen flick. It is a problem that is a reality. Using this reference, she tastefully is able to hook some readers into the actual issues that our country faces on sexual education.

After the quick transition from the humor, we are then informed about the statistics surrounding young adults and their rates of STI transmission, which are affected by the lack of education. The information is succinct and there aren’t too many numbers and points that she covers, so the reader isn’t bogged down.

Next, the writer goes to talk about the new bill being passed around for legislation. She goes straight to the point, highlighting the major changes it would ask for our education system, leaving out any additional wordiness that would distract the reader. The rest of the article is then focused on the bill, educating the reader. The audience is again young people, who want the information quickly and without all the fluff.

Finally, she then starts to include all the populations that will benefit, which widens the audience more, and then suggests ways they could be active. This is solidifying the connection between the audience and the writer. They also become an engaged person within this community.

The whole post is in an informal style. It is slightly shorter than the other posts, with smaller paragraphs.  I believe it might even be in a low style, but it does have some elements of medium style. There is a lot of personality and culture references to this post, more so than the other posts.

Discourse #3

In the article “Is Campus Carry Safe for Everyone?,”Foster brings the question of whether or not the future law is protecting everyone. In order to connect the danger that guns present, she connects the date that the upcoming law takes effect to a time when there was a shooting at the University of Texas. Already, she is trying to get to the point that students holding guns on campus isn’t a good idea. She even brings up ways that students themselves have tried to negate the law.

In this article, there is less condensing of information and more about hearing the voices of different students across Texas, from different universities. She is also very careful to unite them as a body of students, visually showing that through the use of bold letters. While it is a stretch to say it’s a “reproductive justice” issue, I understand the sentiment that comes with that kind of activism. Everyone should have the right in order to feel safe.

The way that she builds up the end of the blog post is excellent. She first begins with an interview she had with  a student, that just brings up the question of overall safety. Then it continues to delve deeper into the problems of race and government overreach. It is refreshing to hear the voices of different students. They don’t all agree with themselves, but they do bring a new perspective.

In the end of the post, she unites the students by saying that universities have to listen to the voices of concerned students in order to make policies that benefit us all. Using interviews of students creates a strong piece that makes it seem that there is a group that cares about the issues (though there might be a large number that are apathetic.) In a more informal style, she gives the reader information and let’s the voices of some students be heard.

Discourse #2

In the article, “Let’s Shout About Birth Control!,” there is more information about certain policies that are getting up into action through the judicial system. Luckily, Martin is able to explain to the audience most of the situation without giving them long explanations that would otherwise go over their heads. Again, this is a more informal style, but I still believe it is within the medium range. The first couple of paragraphs are full of this kind of quick information that doesn’t drag on. Then there is a transition into something more personal, something with more of a voice, which I do enjoy.

The voice comes from the fact that these laws can have an affect with individuals that are similar to the writer. She lists all the possible reasons that birth control can be used besides preventing pregnancy, some of which will be new to potential readers that aren’t too informed.

She then continues to inform the reader about how these laws are there because they want companies that are religiously affiliated to not have to require coverage for birth control, because it infringes on their rights. While I would have gone on to drag these companies for their unreasonable demands, she does so gracefully and with respect.

After she is done informing the reader about these policies and laws, she goes back to give us images of people who use the pill for reasons that are legitimate, and are our humans rights to obtain legal and accessible healthcare. She ties this all together nicely by acknowledging the culture that she works in: social media. Using hashtags to get the reader to be more involved with the movement.

This article easily informed the reader, condensing the information so that the reader could access it without much trouble. She also connected the information more successfully to the individuals that are affected by these laws. Since she was one of those individuals, it made it easier to hear her concerns and put her voice. It was a good balance between these kinds of styles.

Discourse #1

On the blog post, “Alabama Anti-Marriage Equality Bill Also Hurts Victims of Domestic Abuse,” there is a sense trying to make the information about Alabama’s court decision more accessible to people who are of college age. The whole length of the post is quite short and to the point. While I would have thought there would be more of a voice in this post, I felt it was quite tame. There is only one line that I find kind of pointed, and it is the first sentence, “In an example of post-judicial infantilism, the state of Alabama is doing everything it possibly can to discourage same-sex marriage.” I enjoyed that kind of tone and I wish there was more of it within the post.

Going back to its style, I’d say the style of the blog post is in the higher end of medium. There is some jargon, but not to the point that one couldn’t understand the whole post. I believe that this post tried to use the minimum amount of jargon because it would make the information on the legal matters too dense, and thus they would lose the audience. There is a balance of information and accessibility. I could tell that there is a clear focusing on the issues at hand, and how it could affect other people.

The overall theme is bringing up the history Alabama has with trying to make it harder for same sex individuals to get married, all the ridiculous ways they have tried to do so, then connecting it with how it could affect women. I believe it is a good way to inform people that not following certain laws can affect other individuals besides the ones who are directly affected. While I appreciate condensing the information to a quick blog post that I could read while going from one class to the other, thus keeping me up to date with the current news, I would have liked more personality.

 

Commentary #15

King writes this short novella not as much as to create a sense of fear, but more of a sense of suspense and realization. The main stylistic choice that is the backbone of this story is it’s point of view. It is in retrospective 1st person for most of the story, and it gives us a look not only into the same narrator’s view, but their past self too.

When looking at this point of view, we can see the author’s thought process. He questions the reality of things that happened. While there might not be an answer, he tries to find ways to come to terms with them, and this is shown through the style. There are a bunch of moments that are created that either are possible occurrences or are lived experiences. These images are so well created, that sometimes it might seem to be true, even though they might be dreams or thoughts. Here there is a blending of the “truth” of the fiction with things that didn’t happen. It brings the question about whether or not the narrator is reliable.

This novella is about the troubles that children face and must continue to live with. The narrator is looking back at his life in a point where things are so completely different, and notices things that connect to his own current life. The style creates an odd journey through his memory, which is laced with nostalgia and remorse, for the past and what could have been.

Commentary #14

Naked Lunch is a book that expresses the nonlinear-ness of our “realities.” One can express their thoughts, or create a fiction, easily by using a linear mode of writing and going through the events in chronological order. Burroughs, however, wants to take the audience on a trip through the haze of a drug affected mind. His style is non-linear, it is constant, and gives different literary devices to create a solid image.

In the first paragraph presented, we hear someone telling the story of another person who taught his “asshole” to talk. Here, there is already a personification of a body part. Then there is a somewhat disturbing image of it having hooks for teeth, which reminds me of a leech. It’s not a pleasant image, but it does have an impact. This is one of the different ways that Burroughs uses his writing to incite a response form the reader. Then we have more images that are funny to even this about. The anus is continuing to talk, and the owner of said anus is trying to stop it.

Next, there is a transition into a weird idea. The owner’s mouth starts to close up, as if his anus is becoming his new mouth. There are then images that give us the idea of how it happened, almost scientifically. The audience travels through the body seeing his mouth, seeing how the gelatinous tissue works. They then see the brain, is connections to the eyes, and its death.

The use of imagery and personification creates an odd world where the audience is shown disturbing images. His writing is even a little incorrect, with certain articles missing here and there, but that creates the personality for the speaker. When reading the rest of this book, there are more instances like this that make the reader question the real story. With those who aren’t too familiar with non-linear writing, there needs to be care when reading.

Commentary #13

In the passage of Venus in Furs, the narrator as an attention to detail that is very specific. We get an idea of Severin quickly with sentences about his personality, which then detract to other thoughts about technology and philosophy. In that sentence, it continues on the idea of clockwork (like a clock ticking, but I would imagine that they would be going back and forth). There is also a sense of being learned with the listing of these philosophers, as this book is on the morally questionable rack of it’s time. There could be a need to give the author and work credibility, but it gives the narrator character.

His descriptions are very visual as they seem to invoke of a moment. We can see the eyes move across the room to see all the objects. It is nothing like stream of consciousness, but it flows nicely as if we get to see what his eyes lay on. I also think that’s where the point of view comes in. We are given a lot of visual sensory images and it’s almost as if the audience is placed into the character. The long winding sentences are nice, but a few of them get me as a reader lost while reading them, thus I get turned off to the text. Luckily it gets balanced with the imagery.

Commentary #12

 

Whitman’s “Song of Myself” is a free verse poem that is filled with sensory images and small pieces of rhythm. While there is no actual rhythm or rhyme, the poem does flow with lyrically placed words. There is also this kind of double-ness within several lines of the poem. “…and know it and like it…, My respiration and inspiration,” are lines that have a sort of rhyme and repetition. It connects the two in a way like having them occur at once, his breathing, his living is his motivation. To do what? His art.

Going back to the images, there is concrete images that give a sense of realism within the poem. There are lines that show nature with leaves, rocks, shores, and streets and hills. These images are laid with other sensory details, usually having to do with scent, sound, and air. They might infer the way the feelings come and go, or how light and soft they are.

His long winding sentences give the poem a constant motion as the audience is moved from one image to the next, seeing how they all connect to explain the way Whitman sees his art.

Commentary #11

Mayne utilizes an academic tone to examine the work of Dorothy Arzner. While most approaches to maintain an academic sense in their works, this piece is a little more accessible than other reviewed works. Her choice of words make the information smooth and easy to read, while maintaining the seriousness and credibility of her work.

When she presents the information of two films, she skips from giving a full summary and focuses on the important aspects of the films that she will cover. In that aspect, we can see that she is already approaching the work in a concise manner, that doesn’t move the reader in circles but takes them directly to the information.

Now, I don’t mean that it is accessible to everyone, because there is jargon and other terms that are more specialized. However, knowing some basics as film theory and gender, will allow the reader to follow the work.