James Hess comm3460

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Rhetorical Analysis Essay:

The Necessity of Television

Introduction

Have you ever visited the home of a friend, neighbor, or relative and not seen a television on display in at least one room. What is it that most Americans do with their free time? There is a reason that the answers to these questions are obvious, and that is because watching television is a hegemonic ideology in American culture. It isn’t necessarily related to some more common ideologies that exist in the world such as religious, racial, or governmental form of ideology, but watching TV has definitely become a major part of life that trumps many other hobbies and extracurricular activities. One is easily a part of the minority if you do not own a TV, want a larger one, or more channels to watch on it.

Artifact

The artifact that will be used for criticism is an advertisement from 1965 for one of the first color televisions. It was produced by RCA (http://www.tvhistory.tv/255ka25a6.jpg) and features an elegantly dressed couple around their new color TV. They are in a white room that looks like it would be in a wealthy person home. The TV is the focal point of the room. The man and woman are both very happy and seem very satisfied with their new television. The woman in particular seems to be taking great care and being almost delicate with her new possession as she turns the channel.

The other part of the ad is the write up and description of it. I will write it out here because it can be difficult to see looking at the picture I have of the ad. It says:

“ Your guests arrive. One of them notices your handsome new TV set. You turn it on, not saying a word.

Then...’Oh, it’s Color TV!’ someone exclaims.

Listen to their excited comments. How big the picture is! How true the colors are!

Then you tell them about the wonders you watch in brilliant color. Spectaculars...stirring plays...college football.”

There are other parts of the text that show the prices and some of the other specs for the TV as well, but the part I goes along with my analysis is the text I wrote out above.

Hegemonic Ideology

Having looked at and examined the artifact, I will now explain what an ideology is and how something can be hegemonic. “An ideology is a pattern of beliefs that determines a group’s interpretations of some aspect of the world” (Foss 2009, p. 209). That leaves the door open for what that aspect is. In the case of this artifact the ideology would be in a way about entertainment in America, but it goes beyond just entertainment, it is also about getting information, learning, and many other aspects that TV falls under.

The way that an Ideology becomes hegemonic is when that ideology overpowers all of the other options related to it. For example the American public as a whole aren’t flocking to subscribe to satellite radio, rent books from the library or download them on a tablet to read. Sure these are still popular forms of entertainment, but nothing compared to television. Everything happens through television, the news, sports, presidential speeches, movies, cooking, shopping, games, and just about everything you can think of. It is advertised in every way, and because it has access to so much it has become almost a necessity and a part of the normal way of life, just imagine your life without it.

Findings

With the artifact and description of the lens being used for criticism in place, It is time to explain my analysis and findings. At the point in time of this advertisement, the 1960’s, I wouldn’t say that watching television was quite the hegemony that it has become today, but it was part of the early stages, and ads such as this one were a small part of creating the ideology that a person needs TV.

The painting of the couple surrounding the almost gold looking TV, that sits in the middle of their fancy living room almost like an altar or shrine is part of the way this artifact portrays the necessity and prestige of having a TV. It is the center of attention and showpiece of the home for guests and the family that resides there. The text portion of the artifact depicts the three parts of the television ideology that I mentioned in the introduction to this analysis. First is that the first thing the guests notice is the person’s TV. Second is that they also are concerned about the size and quality of the television. Third it was important to put in the options or type of programing you can watch with it.

Television controls the lifestyle of so many, though size, quality and what is actually viewed on the TV varies between every home, it is the fact that there is one in nearly every home and that it is such a focus that is somewhat startling if you step outside the box for a moment. Isn’t it odd that we let an electronic device consume so much of our attention. TV’s are fascinating and are the means of a lot of great information and entertainment, but it is something that didn’t exist for thousands of years of human existence and suddenly it is a hegemony that doesn’t seem to be going out of style at any future point.

Insight

I hadn’t really thought about how much people are attached to TV and why. In my line of work I try to sell people phone, television service, and internet. I speak with about 40 people a day from all around the country, and they come from all walks of life. I have worked in this position for about one year and I have not spoke with anyone that did not not use some sort of television in their home. Sometime people will not have computers or need a home phone, but everyone has a TV. It is one of those things that it just a part of your life and you don’t think about.

I don’t think that television is bad. It has a lot of great qualities, but after analyzing it under the lens of it being a hegemonic ideology, I wish that everyone could see some of its aspects in a different light. I didn’t get into much detail about it above, but TV wastes so much time, and people spend so much money on programing and bigger, nicer screens. That time and money could go to more productive areas, such as recreation or limitless other things. So in that sense I believe the analysis opens up the thought of what we could be doing and focusing on as a society if television wasn’t such a hegemony today.

Sources:

Foss, S. K. (2009). Rhetorical criticism: Exploration and practice. Long Grove, Ill: Waveland Press.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Narrative Artifact - Five Little Skunks (song)

My artifact is the song Five Little Skunks. I chose it because, while I was trying to figure out an artifact, my wife was playing music and singing with my daughter, and this was one of the songs they listened to. I realized that it was a narrative and decided to use it. It is pretty simple but it fits the criteria. (I have no clue who the kids in this YouTube video are. It is more the song that I am wanting anyone who looks at this to gather)

Setting - Outdoors, Park (school auditorium in this video)

Characters - Narrator and 5 little skunks

Narrator - Whoever sings the song (Cole Nibert from Pine Castle Elementary School)

Events - Going out to play, looking for a shady spot to eat, skunks disappearing, having a picnic

Temporal Relations - It happens in a chronological order. Losing one skunk at a time until all 5 are missing.

Causal Relations - The Narrator loses all his skunks when he goes out to have a picnic and play. He is unable to have a picnic until he gets all the skunks back.They do come back and they play and have a picnic.

Audience - Children (Parents in this video)

Theme - Humor, you need everyone to be there to have a party.

Genre - Children’s Nursery Rhyme

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Metaphor Artifact:

Here is some context to the artifact that I have chosen. During high school I was the bass guitarist in a band with some of my friends. I also was in charge of writing most of the lyrics for our songs. During this time in my life I was also dating my wife, and the majority of the songs reflected some aspect of our relationship, many metaphorically. The artifact I chose was the last song that my band would write. My friends and I were all preparing to serve LDS missions and we would soon say goodbye to the band, friends, family. I also had to say goodbye to my future Wife for 2 years.

My main goal for the song was to be able to leave something with my girlfriend that would stir her up each time she heard it, and think twice before she ever decided to leave me. It must have worked because we got married immediately after I got home. I wrote the song about 7 years ago, so I don’t remember every reason why I wrote what I wrote. That is probably why I chose this song, because the metaphors I used help me remember the feeling of having to say goodbye to someone I loved and not knowing if our relationship would still exist in a similar way 2 years later.

Metaphors:

I shiver like a kid in the rain, soaking wet - Knowing some of the context of the song and the path I was about to embark on. It is a little easier to see how I might be feeling similar to a child, left out in the coldness of rain. I felt alone. I didn’t want to say goodbye to my best friend. I was trembling on the inside and sometimes on the out.

This is the sound of my heart & Here is my heart in a song - This is used throughout the song. It doesn’t mean the actual noise of a beating heart, but is meant to symbolize that the music and lyrics are how I am feeling. It is putting my thoughts and feelings to music.

Words on my tongue pleading - The words sung are also asking my girlfriend to stay with me. They are in a sense begging or pleading her not to leave me while I am gone.

Say goodnight to your eyes - The eyes of a person seem like they pretty much allow you to see who they are. I love my Wife’s eyes they are extremely beautiful and I wanted to use them as a metaphor for who she is. So when I am saying goodbye to her eye’s I am having to say goodbye to everything about her.

Note: The slides in the video have nothing to do with the song, or the artifact, just the music.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Ideological Artifact - Brasil's Official Website

I don't think I am going out on a limb with this, but I am looking at this artifact through a hegemonic lens. I know it isn't a religious, or political ideology, but Soccer, or Futbal in Brasil is a hegemony. Looking simply at the countries official website there is a link to sports. It is dominated by Soccer. Sure you can play other sports in Brasil, but soccer is what is promoted, it is what is transmitted by the media, and is the pride of the nation.

You are among the minority in Brasil if you don't follow the sport. It is everywhere you look and almost from birth it is a part of you. In the USA it is very different, on any given sunday you may see basketball, football, golf, soccer, baseball, racing, track and field, etc. on the front page of the sports section, but in Brasil it would be extremely rare to see anything but soccer in the news.

I couldn't get the whole page to fit on the post, so it might not look like a major hegemonic sport, so here is the link to the website: http://www.brasil.gov.br/sobre/sports