Final Project Draft

Yes, this is lacking detail. I forgot all my research in my dorm room, and i wont be back there till sunday. :-(

Final Project, Rough Draft #1
Nico Rose – ENC1101-92
Body language is the process of communicating nonverbally through conscious or unconscious gestures and movements. These physical motions and gestures create a work of art that has the ability to convey emotion, thoughts, and come together in a synergistic interaction to compose a powerful story. The “story” generated by simple things such as gestures and positioning is a powerful story – partly because it leaves the reader to fill in spaces of ambiguity and is able to convey messages that are difficult to express with the use of words. To illustrate this idea, below are some types of body language associated with the language of boredom, as compiled by changingminds.org
Distraction
A bored person looks anywhere but at the person who is talking to them. They find other things to do, from doodling to talking with others to staring around the room. They may also keep looking at their watch or a wall clock.
Repetition
Bored people often repeat actions such as tapping toes, swinging feet or drumming fingers. The repetition may escalate as they try to signal their boredom.
Tiredness
A person who feels that they are unable to act to relieve their boredom may show signs of tiredness. They may yawn and their whole body may sag as they slouch down in their seat, lean against a wall or just sag where they are standing. Their face may also show a distinct lack of interest and appear blank.
Clearly, the idea that the audience is bored with the speakers actions is adequately expressed with non-scripted & non-verbal actions. With body language being such an arid form of communication, what do you categorize it as? Clearly, this medium is just as powerful as scripted or verbal communication, but does that entitle it to be a text? Does body language have the power to create a rhetorical situation? Moreover, is body language a composition? Personally, I feel it is one of the most important texts ever derived; furthermore, the application of this “text” creates a composition.
Body Paragraph One
• What are some comparisons of body language and scribed text?
o How are the components related?
o Do they share common entities?
Body Paragraph Two
• What are the components of a text?
o Tone, rhetorical strategies, mood, purpose
o Text does not necessarily have to be ink, as seen with the visual texts explored in this class.
o As defined in the New Oxford American Dictionary, a text is 1) a piece of written or printed material regarded as conveying the authentic or primary form of a particular work & 2) a subject or theme for a discussion or exposition. There are many denotations for the word “text,” but I feel the two most important are the ones above. If a work or piece of art meets any of the requirements above, it qualifies as a text.
Body Paragraph Three
How is body language related to the word “composition”
• As defined in the New Oxford American Dictionary, a composition is a work of music, literature, or art.
o Specifically, a composition is the action or art of producing such types of work. (New Oxford American Dictionary)
• Body Language is a visual story of emotion, thought, self representation – a narrative
• The gestures, motions, and presentation of your physical staff creates a story that your telling to everyone around you.
• The act of creating this “story” qualifies the action of body language as a composition.
• The overall mental thought process that is associated with producing the physical language in conjunction with the actual creation of body language is the composition of body language
• The application of the “text” creates the composition.
The word “text” has many denotations. In addition, each of the denotations has connotative derivates. The rhetorical elements that are present in many traditional “texts,” such as mood, tone, purpose, and style are also shared by this paralanguage. In my opinion, the only prerequisite for something to be a text is that it has to conveys a message or tells a story – and body language does both of these clearly and powerfully. Continuing, the application of this text for the purpose of communication creates a composition; however, the composition could not exist without the paralanguagal text created by body language.

Journal 8

In your journal reflect on the three readings. Include at least one quote from the Hall piece. Also, consider the following: What do you think about Haas and Raschke? Do you agree or disagree with them? Do you think our use of computers in this class has influenced what you think, how you think, or how you write? Have they hindered or enhanced your learning?

"Though the game allows players to defy reality, what actually ends up happening in-world really is no different than what happens in the real world." Where do draw the line between perception and reality? The Hall selection really scares me. It really makes me question whether society is shaping computer software, or if computer software is now shaping society. How can you be certain as to which way the situation is moving? With the online "life", how do you control WHO plays the game? You can easily just say you are of age and enter the site. The graphic detail associated with the bars and strip clubs in this online world is quite revealing. The fact that all of this exists in the real world and is exploited in this online world concerns me – it may symbolize a further transition towards less morals.
I think that the digital world explored in the Hall selection is extremely unhealthy to the people who are “living” in it. It gives a false sense of reality to those people, and crushes their physical well being since all they are doing is sitting in front of a computer. They’re physical communication skills crash – equate it to being lonely in a crowded room.

Hass mentions how the technological ongoing is changing culture as a whole rather than just the way of writing. I agree and support this statement very much. Culture is the way of life of a group of persons, and since we have so much new technology and new systems of doing things, peoples way of life is changing as well. It is more than just using a computer to type an essay rather than hand write it out. The computer allows for spell check and grammar check, which is something that you can not do with pen and paper. You are putting a whole new dependence on this technology, and thus, you are having a slightly different way of life.
With regards to Rashke, I feel that a transition to complete digital education would be an atrocity. I do not understand what people who have been taught to rely on computers are going to do in the event of a complete technological failure. Although it is not likely, the fact that is possible should be enough to stand in the way of completely digitizing modern education. Students need to be able to use a pen and paper and be able to scribe their own writing, memorize the grammar rules, and be able to write efficiently.

Journal 7

Before responding to this journal read "Theme for English B" in On Writing (page 65). Read the poem a few times and write a short story that goes along with it. Your story can be about anything that relates to the poem. Then, include one or more pictures or photographs that enhance the meaning of your story. In a brief paragraph at the end tell me how the images enhance your story. You may want to compose this in word and then copy and past into the blog space.

As a child, I always remember things being separate. I was never allowed to do the same things that everyone else was allowed to do. My mom would always tell me someday things would be different, but they never changed. Although we are all able to things now together, I still find myself alone in public spaces. Odd indeed, but you know it is true. The feeling when you enter a room and everyone moves away from you, as if you are carrying some contagious disease. Everyone flees, as if a hurricane is approaching. How does everyone else think I feel?
I am sometimes looked down upon, based solely on my appearance. Clearly, it is unfair, but what am I to do? I worry about how my kids will be treated in the future, and wonder if things are going to change for them. They will not deserve to be treated like this. How can we be certain change will take place?
We all have things to learn from other people, so why cant people learn from us? I dont understand. It does not make sense to me and change is needed. Regardless of the color of my skin, I am an American.
I demand change. I am tired of being alone in a crowed room.
- An American Citizen.



The image amplifies the meaning of the text because the image portrays the emotional feelings of the author. The image creates a scene that juxtaposes the crowded room concept with being alone at the same time. Furthermore, the desolate and cold scene establishes the tone of the work.

J6

ow do you want to present your work to readers? How do you achieve this goal textually and visually on your websites? How is having your portfolio online different than merely having a paper folder with three papers in it at the end of the semester? What are the implications of this difference for both you and your audience?

Based on the guidelines posted in the New Handbook, I would have to rank my website at only a fair standing for a portfolio. Starting with my homepage, problems can already be spotted. According to the book, this should be my table of contents, but rather my homepage is more of a welcome mat to the viewer. Although I have the contents of the website placed in the navigation bar on the top of the page, I feel this might not be enough. To modify this, I should add some text to my homepage that talks about me. This text would make the webpage a bit more personal and the viewer would have some background knowledge about me. Perhaps a blurb of two about where I am from, what I am majoring in, and a bit of history about me would spice it up. This changes should raise the bar on the overall homepage.
Continung, another abnormality I noticed with regards to my page was the presentation of my product. Rather than professional cut and clean pages, my site is more upbeat, fun, and spunky. I think that my site should be left like this because you can hear my voice in the work, rather than just looking. To me, it seems more personal and like im talking to the viewer. Fonts in my webpages are all legible and apporpriate, but I chose to deviate from the standard fonts outlined in the book. Delicious fonts go beautify with my vibrant website. I want to present my work as more of a form of art rather than conventional text. I plan to achieve this goal by using the "fun" layout I have selected, vibrant colors, and pictures to pull everything together. Have my portfolio online is different than just three papers because it is MY voice in my own world, rather than just by work. The digital portfolio is more personal. Finally, the audience of the digital portfolio may find the work less formal since the websites are more personal. This is, however, my goal of the website - to make it as if I was physically with the reader.