Object-Oriented Post #3

Video games have always had a love/hate relationship in my family as in I love them and my parents hate them.  When I was ten, there was a major break through in this relationship when I got a Game Boy Color.  This marvel of technology was the best thing since Pong.  It was a hand-held purple dream.  The small console fit perfectly into my hands.  With a flick of the power switch, the familiar Game Boy Nintendo logo appeared on the screen.  Then it was up to my thumbs to take the controls of the directional pad and A/B buttons.  My little purple wonder was the greatest thing to happen to me.  I could play video games where and when ever I wanted.  The Game Boy had a open cartridge slot on the back where various video game titles could be put in.  Before putting the games into the Game Boy it never hurt to blow out the slot of dust so that the magic could begin.

Object-Oriented Post #2

Outside my house, in the backyard, there is an indestructible fortress that has stood for the ages.  The battle-ready castle has seen many battles against uncountable odds.  It has prevailed against invading hordes, pirate sieges, and alien invasions.  I am of course referring to the tree- house that is in my backyard.  The tree house was built by my dad for me when I was very little.  It is more of a fort than a tree house as it isn't even located in a tree.  It is a small 6 by 6 fort placed atop 4 posts.  The fort sits about 5 feet off the ground which is perfect for scanning the horizon.  There are two entrances into the fort and both are by ladder.  The front entrance is a ladder nailed into the fort at a 75 degree angle and the back entrance is a ladder at 90 degrees and provides a treacherous escape route.  The walls are boards nailed to the frame and the roof is a tent-style tarp that is secured to the wood.  There is a yellow slide in the front that allows a fast exit to attack the advancing army.  Underneath the fort is a sandbox that houses the many beasts and creature of the fort.  The Fort was my palace growing up and the subject of many of my childhood adventures.     

Object-Oriented Post #1

My dad gave it to me when I was eight years old.  It shined and glimmered like it was right off the factory line, a Honda Minibike 50cc.  In all actuality it was just another steal my dad had found at a local garage-sale.  A quick wipe down made the grease and dirt disappear and the bike was no longer anyones but mine.  "It's yours", he said, "hop on".  There was nothing mini about this bike it was at the time a perfect fit.  There were no pedals or training wheels only a throttle and an engine.  The tires were wide and fat.  The blue leather seat was much larger than a bike seat.  Everything about the Honda was more... more room, more power, and more adventure.  The kick-start was hard and not easily moved, but when the engine did fire up it purred like a dormant lion.  The engine was the dormant lion but the throttle was the caged beast.  One pull on the throttle sent the front end of the bike into the air.  The first time I accidently "popped a wheelie" I thought the whole bike was going to fly away into the sky like the winged Honda logo painted on the sides.  The bike had a gas can that was located in front of the seat and every time I would get on the bike I would open the can and listen to the gas slosh around as if I where in a pit-stop during a big race.  The bike was just a gift from my dad it was the key to my own adventures and now the bike is in the garage waiting for spring to come so my eight year old brother Joey can ride.

Music Video Rhetorical Response

Rhetorical Response

The music video by Kanye West uses a variety of rhetorical strategies to argue its case that Kanye West is a champion.  The most prevalent one that I noticed was the use of analogy.  The video has depicted Kayne West as an Olympic champion to clearly illustrate and draw the connection to his success in the music industry. This analogy was used to simplify the image of Kanye West as a champion. From a directorial point-of-view it makes sense to employ this analogy because it is much easier to visually depict a champion sprinter than it is a successful music artist.  With the sprinter there only needs to be the depiction of the sprinter winning the race to get the point across.  This whole rhetorical strategy is applied to all of the rhetorical appeals.  The analogy applies to Pathos because of the rise and build of the story that causes an emotional response in the audience.  The analogy applies to Logos because the audience must logically make the connection between Kanye West's success in the Olympics and the music industry. The analogy applies to Ethos because Kanye West is a highly successful rapper and carries alot of respect with him in the musical industry. 

Music Video Observation/Reflection

Observation 

The music video that I chose to post is by Kanye West and the song is titled, "Champion".  The whole premise of the video is that Kanye West is a champion and the video uses some interesting methods to prove this point and create the hybrid text.  The first and undoubtedly most obvious construction of the video was its use of audio-visual interactions.  These interactions seem ordinary in the first 30 seconds of the video because the audience sees a man and hears the same man but when the Kanye West character is introduced the audience sees a puppet and hears Kanye West.  The puppet is an interesting prop used the video and I believed that is was employed to its full potential in the video.  It is personified to look like Mr. West and it is the main contributor of comedy to the video.  The puppet greatly adds to the satire of the Olympics and the idea of being a champion.  The lighting is great in the video.  When the puppet makes the tunnel walk it is dark and then he walks out into the blinding light and cheering crowds.  When there is a moment of strife or perseverance the light is low and ominous. The moments of success are illuminated brightly giving the moment a sense of accomplishment.  The dialogue in the beginning helps set up the story but when the actual song starts the lyrics no longer specifically pertain to the story of the video.  I like this pattern because  there are moment in the song where the lyrics and the video seem to match up and then there are moment that seem to give a prequel of the story.  For example there is a point in the song where Kanye West is talking about growing up in a poor family but his family isn't visually represented in the video but this fact only adds to the glorious victory at the end.

Reflection

The video "Champion" really is a great story.  It's about a man who grew up with a simple life but then made it big and now that he has the time and money he wants to go after his true dream of becoming an international champion sprinter.  That exact dream probably won't pertain to anyone but I think the concept of shooting for the stars and chasing down your dreams can apply to anyone and everyone.  I know that I have some pretty ambitious goals for myself but I'm going to try my best to achieve those goals.  I would love to live in a big house surrounded by 50+ acres of land outside of Lincoln but unfortunately I just don't have that kind of money so I'm going to have to set new goals to get to the big goal.  One of those goals is getting into medical school.  So I guess my point is that this video is really about achieving your goals and you don't need to be a world-class sprinter to do that

Jeremy B