For this assignment I chose to use the infamous Orbit Gum commercial. This video is very funny, yet it also brings across a message. The plot of this commercial is a wife finding out about her husbands office affair. Instead of dropping F-bombs and other like terms, the three characters resort to "interesting" language. The focal point of this video, from an advertising standpoint, is that chewing Orbit gum will make your mouth and vocabulary clean. It also shows all three smiling at one point, showing their pearly whites glint. The advertisement sells itself by great acting. The catfight that breaks out is very beliveable, and the yelling and namecalling definitely holds my attention. Also, the costume worn by the secretary made her give off a humorous vibe. I think that this advertisement is very persuading because of two main reasons. The scenario (wife finds hubby cheating with the secretary) is a common scene today. Also, the name-calling is a "crisis" that the world is going through in recent years. Vulgar language is evermore popular and is almost commonplace. The advertisement tries to discourage viewers from cursing by showing a light hearted alternative. Although the vocabulary is not neccessarily fitting for every day use, however it gets the point across. Another emphasis that is made throughout the advertisement is that anytime you glimpse an actor that is not talking, they are feverishly chewing their gum. I think that video has a very powerful effect on the viewer as far as catching their attention and making them watch the entire clip. It has a clear cut objective as far as selling their product is concerned, and everything is visual and auditory pleasing. This is a very good example of a video that brings everything to the table and can be enjoyed by millions of people (as evident on the view count!).

Blog Post 2

The diagram I chose for this assignment was a diagram of the human skeleton. This diagram clearly labels particular bones, a very critical part of diagrams. The purpose of this diagram is to familiarize a person with the skeletal structure. It could be pointed at an audience of high school or college students in an anatomy class, or it could be for a web-site for science or medicine. I think that diagrams, especially on the Internet or in some digitalized format, are a great help to web users because they offer a visual piece of information, rather than a lot of text on a screen. Some diagrams are interactive, allowing you to scroll over certain areas of it and uncover more information about the content of that diagram. This diagram is a great learning tool because it tells you where many bones are on the body. I have personally learned from something similar to this in my anatomy class in high school. It is a lot easier to learn off a diagram rather than reading about it in a book (in this case anyways). The diagram you see came from here, explaining 3D software that allows you to fully experience the skeletal system. The problem with removing it from its original site is that now it is purely 2D material; no one would think that this would be a view from a 3D program. Given that, it is important to note where a person gets a diagram, or any information, off of a web site. I already have a link to that web site previously posted in this paragraph.

The details labeled in this diagram are the bones of the skeleton. I would not have changed any labels on this, except if the diagram was larger, I would have added more labels, as there are 206 bones. So, what does this have to do with writing? Diagrams make writing come alive. In a sense, they are a billboard for the pen and paper.

Blog Post #1

The Essay's Unlimited Possibilities

"The essay is, and has been, all over the map. There's nothing you cannot do with it; no subject matter is forbidden, no structure is proscribed. You get to make up your own structure every time, a structure that arises from the materials and best contains them. The material is the world itself, which, so far, keeps on keeping on. The thinking mind will analyze, and the creative imagination will link instances, and time itself will churn out scenes - scenes unnoticed and lost, or scenes remembered, written, and saved."

(Atwan 30)

- Annie Dillard


The quote that caught my attention was from the last entry. Annie Dillard's "The Essay's Unlimited Possiblities," began by stating, "The essay is, and has been, all over the map. There's nothing you cannot do with it." I think that this quote efficently describes the essay. Since there is no agreeable definition, writers must make a large generalization for all to be satisfied with. Dillard's view is one that I agree with. In only 15 or so pages of this reading assignment, the essay was described in probably as many ways. With this kind of variety, I think that an all-encompassing view of the essay is the best view for all writers. However, some writers (teachers mostly, I would think) will disagree with this generalization because they have a certain viewpoint that is a narrower one. The five paragraph, five hundred word essay is "just right" in some people's minds.

This quote by Dillard also agrees with me because this is the way that I am most comfortable writing. Although I sometimes need a little bit of guidance, giving me a writing assignment that can cover anything is the type of writing I enjoy the most. I had two different English teachers in high school; one of which was the standardized 5-paragraph teacher, while the other was one that would not assign a length (although she never failed to say "It needs to be long enough." Given that I have had two completely different styles of essay-writing experience, I must say that the style that Dillard suggests is the one I am most supportive of.

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