Here we go...

After much deliberation and topic-hopping, I have finally figured out how I want to go about this assignment...

For those who don't know me, I have a sister - well 4 in fact, but my only older sister is the only one relevant to this assignment. She's a much more creative and crafty person than I am. She crochets a LOT, especially hats, but also scarves and blankets. She's been doing this for about 2 years now. More recently she has been a bit obsessed with buttons. At first she began attaching them to the hats she was making, but then began making these very cute elastic bracelets and headbands that are simply covered in them. So those are the biggest things she's into making right now. She's given a lot of them away as gifts, and people will often ask if they can buy them from her or commission her to make specific items. So when this assignment came up and I was looking for a rhetorical situation, I proposed that I create some kind of webspace for her to advertise her work or just enjoy showing it off and letting people know more about who she is and what she enjoys.

This brings me to the choice of medium. I settled on helping her create a blog for a few reasons. First of all, with the way she hops around between varying types of projects and how they can evolve into other ones, I think a blog would be a good format. This way you can see how her work has progressed and changed in a timeline fashion. Secondly, she has never blogged before, and I feel like she would not only learn from the experience, but thoroughly enjoy it and take advantage of it as well. It's also a very laid back, accessible, easy atmosphere for both her and potential followers/customers, who would be the intended audience.

Wysocki-Lynch Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Wysocki and Lynch was all about further development of the purpose statement. I was a little discouraged when they stated right up front (on page 58) that it would be best to go through this chapter with a project in mind – because I had very little idea about my topic when I picked this up last night. However, I decided to plow through it anyway and hope that I could recall any useful information when I was actually working on my project.

There were two things in particular that I found rather interesting in this chapter. One was the idea that by presenting an argument you are, in fact, “designing futures” (p 60). The other is seeing arguing as a social activity, because you are trying to affect people’s experiences, attitudes, and/or opinions. We can see that these two views of argument directly relate to one another. “If we think of argument and communication as being about designing futures, then what argument can achieve is to give people ideas about what the future could be if their attitudes or beliefs were to shift somewhat” (p 60). Seeing argument in this light is mildly inspiring, but it also is a reminder to think carefully about what you choose to say and how you choose to say it.

The next portion of the chapter is all about composition and thinking. The authors encourage you to set aside time just to think about your argument and how you plan on developing and presenting it (Haven’t done that sufficiently either…it’s like these authors know me). They again come back to purpose, audience, and context. It’s important to make sure that everything you implement is working toward the overall goal. They remind you to consider your audience: their attitudes, priorities, and your relationship/experiences with them. Maintaining good standing with your audience is essential to an effective argument.  …So yeah, some of this was definitely review, but was still helpful in thinking about forming a more complex purpose statement.

Wysocki-Lynch Reading

This piece was considerably easier to get through than I was anticipating when I initially looked at the 59 page PDF. I think that was partly because there was a lot of review involved, at least for me personally. Wysocki and Lynch address 7 things to consider/develop between the stages of choosing and producing your argument.

1. Sense of Purpose: What are you trying to accomplish or achieve? Will it be worth the time to your audience?
2. Audience: Know them! You need to know what they will expect, how they will respond, and what will resonate with them, in order to communicate as clearly as possible.
3. Context: The time and/or location of your argument may call for different levels of formality or different media. The context will help determine what is appropriate and what will be effective.
4. Statement of Purpose (not to be confused with number 1): After taking into consideration your purpose, audience, and context, you can more concisely define or explain what exactly you want to do and why. This will perhaps be more helpful to you than anyone.
5. Strategies: What kinds of arguments are you going to use? Think about what is important to your audience. What are there concerns or presuppositions? Always be looking for different angles to work from.
6. Medium: How are you going to present your argument? Is it going to be spoken, visual, animated? Again, purpose, audience, and context need to be considered. Which mediums are appropriate? Which are more accessible and resonant with your audience? You also have to know what your limits are in terms of skills/competence, time, money, etc. Don't choose a project that you can't finish or that you can't do well.
7. Arrangement: Think about all the pieces of your project. Try mapping things out in different ways to produce a more powerful argument. You'll run into things that don't work, for sure, but this will help you better communicate with your audience. Consider how different arrangements add or detract from your message.

I really enjoyed the practicality of this piece, especially going into our third assignment. While some of it may seem obvious, it's a good reminder to always be considering, in particular, your purpose, audience, and context. You can have a fantastic mix of strategies, beautifully arranged and portrayed through an exciting medium...but if you have neglected your audience or forgotten the context, your purpose will likely find itself stopped cold in its tracks.

Bitzer Reading

Rhetorical Discourse is Not a Tree

First of all, you can ignore the title. I took it from the second paragraph of section I, "A rhetorical work is analogous to a moral action rather than to a tree" (p 3). The title I pulled from that sentence is virtually pointless (aside from the small amount of enjoyment I personally derived in forming it), however the analogy that IS present can help us better understand what a rhetorical situation is. Rhetorical discourse and moral action are similar in the sense that they are both a response to particular situations. Moral action is a result of an ethical situation that allows or requires a choice or an opportunity to change that situation. In the same way, utterance is rhetorical because of the situation that   allows it to be invited. "Rhetorical discourse is called into existence by situation; the situation which the rhetor perceives amounts to an invitation to create a present discourse" (p 9).

"[Rhetoric] functions  ultimately to produce action or change in the world" (p 4). Rhetoric is futile without an audience to sway or impact, because rhetoric must offer an opportunity to change the way people think or act. For this to be so, their must be a situation that brings about a desire for change; "a work of rhetoric is pragmatic; it comes into existence for the sake of something beyond itself" (p 3). This 'something' is the rhetorical situation. It gives the discourse not only purpose, but the ability to even occur. It demands resolution, and this need for resolve gives birth to the opportunity for rhetoric, which seeks to meet that demand.

Major Assignment 2

Hannah O'Connor

October 13, 2012

Call Me...Maybe?

            Cell phones, in our day and age, are considered a standard means of communication. This is particularly true of my generation. People are genuinely surprised (and perhaps occasionally appalled) when I tell them that I have never owned a cell phone. I see young people who are practically glued to these little devices and rely on them for a major part of their communication with family, friends, classmates, etc. Texting in particular seems to be an important form of communication to young people.

            So where does that leave people like me? My friends can make last minute plans, discuss homework, and keep up with one another throughout the day without seeing each other even once. I generally need to have access to a computer or face-to-face interaction to do so.

For a long time I was too nervous to even ask people if I could use their cell phones because I wasn't sure how to find the information I needed or execute the commands necessary to complete a task. Something as simple as sending a text would leave me feeling bewildered and embarrassed. Though my skills have improved since then, I still don’t know what it’s like to have that possibility of instant communication with me wherever I go.

            I realize it is by choice that I do not have a cell phone – don’t think I’m complaining – but having that diminished access, literacy, and fluency gives me a rather rare perspective on the subject. Since we are looking at the affects of such a lack, it behooves us to define the terms involved. Access sounds pretty straightforward. In class we discussed how it is the ability to be connected and involve. Access brings with it a digital presence, and therefore an identity. Literacy would be the knowledge necessary to take advantage of that access and operate the available media or technology. Fluency is related to literacy. Williams, while quoting the NRC’s Being Fluent with Information Technology describes literacy as a kind of “competency,” and fluency as “a higher level of competency” which allows the user “to adapt to changes in technology” and “acquire new skills independently,” that is, to still remain literate while following technological changes (Williams, pp 1-2). The most fundamental area that I am lacking in then, would be access. While I do have some literacy when it comes to cell phones, it is of little use without fluency and especially without access. These three work best when they go hand in hand. So what are the pros and cons to this lack of access, and does one side significantly outweigh the other?

            The advantages of owning a cell phone are generally self-evident to most people. Access to people through multiple means of communication, information, and data storage are just a few broad categories that scratch at the surface of a long list. And all of this can be carried around on your person 24/7. It grants you access into another layer of the digital sphere that seems to permeate our culture.

            Aaron Smith (speaking about internet access) says that the three largest reasons people don’t get connected is because they don’t find it relevant, they are uncomfortable, and/or they just have no interest in having that access (Smith 2010). Discomfort makes complete sense to someone in my position; but why, in today’s society of faster-equals-better, would people find owning a cell phone to be irrelevant or unimportant? There are those who would argue that the use of cell phones detracts from social experiences. A study conducted in 2008 on the subject of cell phones in public spheres concluded that cell phones and other interactive mobile devices “allow for distractions in public spheres…diffuses our responsibility to help those outside our social group,” and “function as masks that hinder active users form recognizing the needs of others” (Banjo, p 134).

            Is it not an ironic thought that a device that is supposed to promote connections and communication might actually be doing a better job of creating rifts between social groups? What becomes of McLuhan’s “global village?” McLuhan did also say, however, that “societies have always been shaped more by the nature of the media by which men communicate than by the content of the communication” (p 8). The nature of the cell phone is a paradox though. It provides nearly instant access to information and communication while simultaneously disconnecting us from our immediate surroundings. I guess one must decide which sphere of interaction they consider to be more important to help determine whether the pros or cons of this technology hold more sway.

            Having seen a bit of both sides of the coin, what could be done to improve this scenario? On the one hand, “perhaps we ought to develop a social code of behavior for proper cell phone usage” (Banjo, p 134). This would work towards solving the problem of disconnect from the world immediately surrounding us. On the other hand, the matter of discomfort and lack of literacy or fluency is, in my opinion, best solved through experience. It could just be a matter of taking that first step into a new digital realm, where, though we at first may feel out of place, we can begin to utilize (or access) a new medium that gives us a broader scope of connections.

            I can’t speak for the entire population of those who abstain from cell phone ownership, but I thought I’d explain a few reasons that I personally don’t own one. First of all, I don’t need the extra expense. I’ve survived this long without one, why start before I have to? Plus, I’m afraid that if I did get one I would become far too attached to it. This is especially not good because I find that it diminishes the quality of interaction with other people, for me at least. I also don’t think I would like being that accessible to other people. It seems almost like an invasion of privacy. However, I do recognize the value and convenience of owning one, and it probably won’t be too long before those outweigh the disadvantages I just listed.

Works Cited

Banjo, Omotayo, yifeng Hu, and S. Shyam Sundar. "Cell Phone Usage and Social Interaction with Proximate Others: Ringing in a Theoretical Model." The Open Communication Journal 2 (2008): 127-135. Print.

Mcluhan, Marshall, Quentin Fiore, and Jerome Agel. The medium is the massage: an inventory of effects. Corte madera, CA: Ginko Press, 2001. Print.

Smith, Aaron. "Home Broadband 2010 | Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project." Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <http://www.pewinternet.org/Press-Releases/2010/Home-Broadband-2010.aspx>. 

Williams, Kate, "Literacy and computer literacy: Analyzing the NRC's 'Being Fluent with Information

Technology'."  Journal of Literacy and Technology, volume 3, number 1, Spring 2003.  

Literacy and Fluency

There is a lot to be said about literacy and fluency in the Williams piece. I found the distinction between the two terms to be particularly interesting. The NRC's Being Fluent with Information Technology associates the term 'literacy' with competence and claims that it is "too modest a goal" (p 2). Fluency, on the other hand, is seen as 'deeper understanding' as well as 'a higher level of competency" (p 2). In a world where technology is rapidly becoming more and more complex, new levels and areas of literacy and expertise will become necessary.

Williams then begins to examine and discuss eleven theses regarding the NRC report. Only 5 of these were in some way a part of the original report, upon which Williams greatly expands. These 5 discuss Literacy as a technical skill, as conceptual, historical, and social, and as intertwined with power. 

Those theses added by Williams suggest more than just a definition and description of literacy. Williams discusses things such as "the literacy divide between school and home," (p 9) examining the four different kinds of school literacy (powerful, informational, functional, and performative) and how a difference can exist between community literacy and school literacy. She also looks at the desirability of connecting these different literacies.

Williams overall purpose in reviewing this report is to find the most effective way to gather further information and to determine which information is necessary to search out in answer to "the most important questions" (p 17).

Bourne Digital

Digital natives - they grew up immersed in technology and know no other way of living. They can't remember having to send handwritten letters or buy records. They tend to understand technology and how to use it more quickly than those who didn't grow up with it. Technology changes the way we study, communicate, interact, exchange information, and the list goes on. These digital natives have an advantage in this environment because they are so familiar with having an online presence, surfing the internet, texting, facebook, etc. 

However, there are advantages and disadvantages when it comes to the digital sphere of the internet. What about porn and online predators? Cyberbullying? Or something as 'simple' as illegally downloaded music? With its pros and cons, we must somehow find a way "to balance caution with encouragement: How do we take effective steps to protect our children as well as the interest of others, while allowing those same kids enough room to figure things out on their own?" (p. 9)