Lisa’s AP Composition Blog

“On Lying in Bed”

G.K. Chesterson made the argument that spending time in bed can actually breed creativity rather than hinder it, and he used several rhetorical strategies to convince his audience of this. The ones that i recognized most clearly included anecdote, allusion, metaphor, and comparisons to seemingly unrelated things.

Chesterson used anecdotes to make his case more believable. He brought his audience to a personal level and shwed them that he had experience with his topic, showing that he was credible enough to be making this argument. “But when I tried to find these fine clear spaces in the modern rooms such as we all live in I was continually disappointed.” Reading this immediately brought me in to his essay, and i became more engaged and viewed him as more believable.

He also alluded to painters in the past who were very creative, and spent their time looking at the ceiling a lot (implying that they looked at it from a bed, but who knows). “I am sure that it was only because Michael Angelo was engaged in the ancient and honourable occupation of lying in bed that he ever realized how the roof of the Sistine Chapel might be made into an awful imitation of a divine drama that could only be acted in the heavens.” This makes a strong argument, because he is talking about a very famous painter whose work in the Sistine Chapel is world famous and very highly respected.

Chesterfield used metaphor when talking about the ceiling as a blank space with full potential creativity. He was really using it as a metaphor for a blank slate that has been pretty much untapped, and that most people don’t think of immediately. I found it creative and obscure, and i was convinced that a man who can make this great of a metaphor definitely knew what he was talking about in regards to creativity.

The last strategy i found was comparison, where he compared two very seemingly different things and brought them together in a way that made people think, and respect what was previously thought of as negative. When he compared “misers and burglars” to being free and flexible, he showed people that they could relate to these people and that since they were creative, maybe the general public could be creative too.

Outline Practice (Kennan Prompt)

If i were going to write an essay for this prompt, i would first begin by stating Kennan’s main argument, which was that social influence is a greater form of power than our central police and judicial forces. I would use quotes and examples that showed why he felt this way, and then i would go into analysis on whether or not i agreed with him. I do agree that people are compelled to abide by social norms more because of the need we have for acceptance from others, so i would use evidence from my own experiences to support this. First, i would use the example that people break the law every day, as if it were only a guideline for how people should act. They do not regard speed limits or drug laws, and most of the people i have encountered don’t seem too concerned with getting caught by police. Most of the people i know would be more inclined to follow the speed limit if their parent was in the car, and would be more likely to quit using drugs because their friends pressured them to stop, rather than because they could get in a lot of trouble with the law. I would then use quotes from Kennan’s excerpt to back my argument up further. Finally, i would conclude the essay with a summary of my thesis and an affirmation that i agreed with Kennan.

second semester seniors…

It was nearing midnight, and Elise was sitting on her bed. She was sitting on her bed, laptop in her lap, with various textbooks strewn around her. You would expect that she was just up late getting things done, considering the three ap tests she had to study for and the ever-important culminating exhibition she had to put finishing touches on. But no, the open window on the laptop showed a wall-post from Elise’s best friend on facebook, spreading the latest gossip. The other window on Safari displayed her ongoing game of bubble shooter (which she was just about to win by the way!).

In reality, Elise hadn’t even considered studying for her tests, she still had two chapters of math homework to make up and a presentation for psychology. But eh, she wasn’t worried about it, i mean it’s not like her teachers would actually FAIL her because she lacked a little moivation…right?

As the weeks went on, Elise kept up her habits, diminishing her standard for excellence immensely each and every day. She was no longer Elise, she was infected. Infected with senioritis, a common and dangerous disease that affects millions of teenagers every spring. Was there a treatment in sight for her?

Well, when she realized that if she didn’t get her act together, she would get her admission from the University of Washington revoked, she decided to step things up. In the last four weeks of her senior year, Elise finished all of her english blogs from the entire semester, turned in four packets of statistics homework, and spent every evening in the library. Even when the weather became nice, Elise kept her eye on the prize, and her fear of rejection from her future kept her on track and just out of the clutches of the worst part of senioritis!

Fog of War

In the documentary concerning McNamara and the Vietnam War, we see a different view than what most American citizens saw when the war was actually taking place. Fog of War aims to uncover a lot of little details centered around the war and clarify controversial topics, and does so eloquently with as little bias as possible. One of the features that i found very helpful was the fact that McNamara seemed more personal, like you could relate to him on the screen. Maybe it was the fact that he was facing the audience and looking right at the camera, making that physical contact with the people watching. He also does a lot for his credibility in this documentary because a lot of people didn’t like him as secretary of defense during the war, but he does a lot of damage control by admitting his wrongdoing. Just this makes people want to listen to him more because he is letting the audience know that he is aware that he did wrong. He is also very obviously intelligent, and this does wonders for the way the people view him. I know that i personally respected him a little more just because i could tell by his language and appearance that he was an intelligent man. One rhetorical strategy that wasn’t necessarily imposed by McNamara was the music, which was unobtrusive but held impact when it needed to, drawing the audience in on the most important parts of the film. I found it helpful when dozing off in class to follow along with the music, because i felt like i wasn’t missing anything.

Juxtaposing Images

Windows are a prevalent and meaningful part of our everyday life. We look through windows as a barrier between two places, a protection from harm just beyond, or a way to long for what we cannot have. Some people use windows as a way to observe the world from a safe haven, while others spend their time constantly looking in, yearning for the warmth and security of what most people call home. The two images I chose illustrate the former, where the perspective comes from the inside. They evoke feeling and if nothing else, a little ambiguity. It isn’t immediately obvious what the artists are trying to portray, but a little digging uncovers a lot of hidden meaning.

In Bing Wright’s “Rain Window III,” there are a lot of ways to look at what he is trying to say. Could it portray depression? Safety? Hope? What I gathered is that since the viewer doesn’t get to see any of the structure that the window is attached to, the photograph represents hope and a strong curiosity for what the outside world has to offer. The blurred landscape shows that whoever is looking out the window doesn’t know much about his or her own immediate environment, and that he or she may be apprehensive to venture out for the first time. This is also demonstrated through the clarity of the foreground and the uncertainty of the middle and background. The rain on the window and the use of similar dark colors can make the photograph feel dreary, but upon closer analysis, the emerging spring greenery sends a note of hope. This contrasts somewhat with Edward Hopper’s “Morgensonne,” which focuses mainly on what is inside and only gives a peek at the world outside the window. While the woman in the painting also seems curious about what she would find if she left her apartment, she seems afraid to go outside because she has had bad experiences before. The mood of the picture depicts apprehension and anxiety, though the world outside seems mostly calm. One thing these images do agree on, though, is the element of loneliness prevalent in the mood.
Both of the images are fairly balanced. In “Rain Window III,” light is brightest at the top and middle of the photograph, as well as on the bottom. There are elements of dark bordering the picture with the window frame, and the trees also balance the dark out. In “Morgensonne,” the light is equal on both sides with the window and the light from the window splitting the picture almost perfectly in half. The bottom of the painting also exhibits light and shadow from the woman on the bed. Both of these pictures are centered, with the focus on the approximate middle of the image.
A brief history about the artists may uncover some of the hidden meanings in each of the images. I inquired about the inspiration for the series of window photographs by Bing Wright, talking to his nephew. As a resident of New York City, Bing lived in an apartment overlooking Central Park, but his art studio had no windows. Out of a need for pure sanity, he went to his home in Sun Valley and took photographs of various landscapes. Back home, he blew them up to life-size and inlayed them into large window frames. He added a backlight, and voila! He had a view. From this, I can understand the complexity of the photographs and the ambiguity. Who would want to look out their window and see something less than inspirational?
As for Edward Hopper, he was interested in depicting various urban scenes. He loved illustrating the characters as if they were just about to experience something climactic, or sometimes after they just had. He liked to portray mystery and leave the message of the painting up to interpretation.

A compare/contrast of these images shows that while they were done during different time periods and done in different medias, there are many intrinsic similarities that give these paintings complimentary feelings. Images cannot just be taken at surface value, they must be analyzed and extracted to be fully appreciated. If nothing else, that is what I’ve learned from this assignment.

The Soiling of Old Glory

I was pretty surprised to see that some of these photographs came from Boston, a city that i never suspected to be racist. I guess i just think of the South as a racist area, not the North, so it was unnerving to find out otherwise. After looking at the picture of the white young man attacking the black man with the flag a few times, i became so appalled at the attacker and i hope that he is deeply ashamed about that photo. I can understand black people’s pain, and i don’t think there should be a law restricting desegregation of schools.

Photo analysis

In this photograph, a Greek man sits nervously on a public ledge surrounded by strangers. He is alone, and closed off from everything around him. The caption on the website states that he is watching a dance, probably in a public center or something. But he seems to be detatched, observing as an outsider, and an uncomfortable one at that. The people around him do not seem to be well-off financially, so he is probably in a neighborhood plagued with poverty and unfriendliness. As typical in Greece, the cross is ever prevalent, as it is duplicated on the pole behind him.
The photographer is aiming to express the cold atmosphere of the setting, by focusing on the uncomfortable young man with the distinct unfriendly and depressed faces in the background. The photograph is also a bit ambiguous, because it is not immediately obvious that the person is a male. It also appears that he is holding something, at first i thought it to be a small child, but i realized he was only holding his own knees. It is thought-provoking, but i don’t know what else the photographer is trying to communicate other than the culture of greece is somewhat less than friendly.

Rasselas

1) In the beginning of the selection, what complaint does Rassalas have against his sister’s method of argumentation?

He complains that his sister is overly dramatic and does not make good arguments because they are not plausible. One could say that she uses fallacies in her arguments.

2) Summarize the 2nd paragraph. Why is “calamity” not so bad?

Calamity isn’t so bad, because according to Rasselas, calamity gives people the chance to respond to problems and to learn how to move on. If people can’t figure out how to get past problems, they will always be sheltered and have no perspective on life.

3) Why does Rasselas believe that “marriage is one of the means of happiness?” What is his sister’s response?

Rasselas believes that “marriage is one of the means of happiness” because when two people get married, it is because they love each other and make each other happy.

4) Summarize the 6th paragraph.

Rasselas basically said that his sister’s argument about whether celibacy or marriage was worse contradicted itself and therefore didn’t count.

5) The Princess’s response (“To the mind, as to the eye, it is difficult to compare with exactness objects vast…:”) is pretty complicated. What is the philosophical point she’s trying to make?
What argument do the two have about marriage? What good does Rasselas see in it and what evil does his sister see?

Rasselas doesn’t see really any good in it, and i pretty much have no idea what she’s talking about here.

6) What rhetorical strategies do you see employed by both speakers? Be specific.

They both use a lot of logic, some more coherent than other statements, and they try to use ehos, or personal experience to make conclusions and close valid arguments.

Definition Essay

Art: probably one of the most widely defined words in our world today. It has been said to be around since the beginning of mankind, from visual cave paintings to early works of literature such as the Iliad and the Odyssey. Since then, “art” has expanded so much that people are now attempting to include controversial subjects such as pornography and vandalism in forms of graffiti (http://www.createdinbirmingham.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/hoakser_graffiti.jpg), but is that bad? Art is so subjective that pretty much anyone could argue that they have created art in some form at some time or another, so how do we discern what is creative, innovative, imaginative, or even a valid and meaningful work of “art?”
I remember taking art classes in elementary school, where we learned about many different types of art, mainly in the form of sketches, paintings, and everything in between. I learned how to draw perfectly the dimensions of the human face (http://www.lmcc.net/art/programs/2005.4.13humanrace/nw_men-and-women.jpg), how to make a drawing look realistic. My teacher was so proud of me that she referred me to a higher-level class for skilled artists (at my age, of course). I was so excited to be good at something, and better yet, something different from basic core class skills. As I expanded my knowledge and appreciation for this type of art, I became more aware that what I started out with was not art. I was merely copying what others had done before me.
If art is supposed to be creative and imaginative, we can then say that a basic photograph or drawing that looks exactly like something in real life is not art. A picture of a Hawaiian sunset (http://www.rentmauicondos.com/images/maui_sunset.jpg) isn’t meaningful if a person can look at it for hours and not be able to find anything substantial about it. Replicas cannot be art, because they do not move human thinking forward. They simply reinforce our mental sets and cause us to remain stagnant in our thought processes and awareness. Film can often walk along this thin line, because many times, films lack in creativity and substance in terms of meaning. However, by default, that classifies graffiti as art because it is different from the norm, as well as some well-done pornography that offers more than a peek at naked people.
What, then, about music? Who is to say that one type of music is any more like art than another? A classical piece follows rigid rules and theories that categorize it as a true piece of music, while more contemporary styles don’t follow those same rules. This doesn’t mean that people like contemporary music any less than classical, it’s actually quite contrary to that. Most of today’s music is favored more than what was popular a hundred years ago, and this fact proves that today’s audio, while not as structured, is most definitely a valid art form. Using the same logic with visual forms of art, it can be said that music is technically “art” if it stimulates the mind, and gives people something to chew on. So, a sequence of loud noises of no apparent consequence can agreeably be thrown out of the category of “art,” as can remakes of famous songs (unless they were redone to highlight other possible meanings, of course).
Now, I am not trying to say that everyone needs to set out to be different if they want to be successful as an artist, but they do need to keep in mind that their work isn’t going to be regarded as highly if it looks/sounds just like something that has come before them. A photographer cannot expect to take a pretty picture with basic angles and standard lighting and call it art (http://www.aarems.org/lake%20pleasant.jpg). A musician cannot expect to sing his or her favorite Elvis Presley song and call it art. But that’s pretty obvious, right?
What isn’t obvious, at least to me, is how artists can make millions by selling a canvas piece comprised solely of white paint with random brushstrokes (http://www.sharonlouden.com/drawings/merge_0213.jpg). And furthermore, the people who buy into that are even more confusing. To me, art needs some basic substance, something that at least a good portion of the general population can make an inference about. Leaving “meaning” up to those who will say anything to sound profound when really they have no idea what they’re saying is a dangerous act that we take part in every day. Pretty soon, art will be a completely foreign concept to most people because not everyone can talk about what a blank wall “means to them” with a straight face.
Today, art has been left to the extremists, with not much going on in the middle. On one end, there are pretty pictures of flowers and Chinese characters flooding the masses. Along with that, there is the Top-40 music with nothing more to it than a monotonous backbeat and a sultry voice or two, and a plethora of pornographic movies floating around the internet. On the other end, it’s the compilations of random pieces of trash making up a sculpture, and the elite few who have the time to sit around and wonder about the journey that trash took to get to that sculpture. It’s a complicated thing to categorize, because no two people will define art the same way.
For the sake of this essay, I’ve tried to come up with a way to determine what makes up a piece of art, in any media, in any situation. It’s this simple: if after “experiencing” the art (seeing, listening, watching), the viewer can find meaning and/or emotion fairly readily, the piece of work in question can be defined as art. It’s vague, and it has to be that vague; otherwise, people would be upset and the development of art would slow drastically. I’m sure a top-40 fanatic or a wealthy ponderer could find a way to prove me wrong, but I could care less, because art is all based on how the individual sees it, right?

Why I Want A Wife

1. What was your first reaction to the article?

I got a little mad the first time i read this, because honestly feminist extremists really piss me off. Women can be just at depramental to men and i think that the inequalities go both ways. However, as i read more, i became persuaded that women do do a lot of work around the house and that there are some men out there who do expect their wives to basically act as their slaves.

2. What has changed (if anything) in terms of gender equality in our country? Would Sykes’s criticisms still be relevant today?

I think that in part, these criticisms could still be relevant because women do get a stigma attached to them that they are the ones who are expected to give up their lives to run the household successfully. You rarely ever hear of men who are stay-at-home dads or do the bulk of the cooking in the family, even though my dad does do a lot in my house.

3. Do you feel that women are discriminated against in our society and if so how? If not, what has changed?

Women do obviously still have a disadvantage in today’s society, and this can be solidly proved by numbers. Women are proven to make less than men in the same profession, and receive more sexual harassment in the work world. They are still considered by some to be less competent, but the nature of men causes the sexual harassment. If women thought about sex as much as men, that aspect would be more equal.

4. Could an equivalent essay entitled “Why I want a husband” be written? If so, what would it contain and what points would it make?

If i were to write an essay entitled “Why I want a husband,” i would include facts on how men can do all the hard labor in the house like building, assembling appliances, and lifting heavy objects. They also have the responsibility more than women to “bring home the bacon” and provide for the wife and kids. The husband can be considered somewhat of a tool, because most of the time they don’t know anything about the house and therefore women can manipulate them.