Rhetorical Devices

Choose one device from the Horn piece, find an example that you think illustrates this device, and write about why. If you can include the image in your blog, that’d be excellent.

This political cartoon best represents Horn's use of metaphor in a image with words. In the picture Bush, Cheney and Rumsfield are in a steam roller about to flatten the world. The steam roller is a metaphor for the vast amount of power these men have. And these men are going to use their power to push their neo-conservative ideals onto the world. The author thinks that this is going to have devastating effects in the world. We can now this, obviously, by the impending doom of the world with these men at the helm. Using these metaphors helped better make the author's point. The author's point is better made because people understand what a steam roller does, and that is flatten. Essentially, President Bush is going to flatten the world with his undesirable foreign policy.

Typography

First, describe what the difference is between typography and typefaces. Second, describe what you think Keedy means when he says "There is no such thing as a bad typeface...just bad typography." Third, pick out a sentence or section from Helfand or Solomon that interests you. Describe what it is that draws you to this particular idea.

The difference between typography and typefaces are sutle at first, but they become more pronounced as one move through the visual rhetoric world. When one originally looks into the difference of the two, one first notices that they have one thing in common. The two words deal with lettering. Once this has been established, one notices that typefaces are the kinds of interfaces for the words: meaning what the words look like. While typography concerns itself with not only the selection of font types but the positioning of them on the page and the effect the positioning has on the reader. For example the Astrix (*) tells the reader to move to another spot on the page if she would like some more information.

Keedy Comment means that there are a vast amounts of typefaces at the typographers disposal. She may use the best ones to represent the point of the paper. However, if she chooses a bad typeface it is her responsibility because there are so many typefaces she may choose from.

The sentence that interests me the most is from the writings of Jeffery Keedy. On page280 he states: Typography, in this environment [electronic, Internet], desperately needs direction. This is interesting because the Internet is like everything else; when something is new they are not sure of what to do with it. Electronic typography is in this unorganized state. The unorganized state helps make interesting designs because there is no norm of electronic design.

Based on the readings, what type of process and structure do you think will work best for your group given the content, time line, and realities of project 5?

After reviewing project 5's requirements, I (for know) think the best structure of organization will be the ambiguous category. I know I have not talked with my group yet, but I am thinking about making a website for ASWSU Student Legal Services. I am the Director and I plan on using the designed web page because the one we have know is mediocre at best. The ambiguous category will be the best for a legal website because those who are looking for legal help have no idea what is going on. The information must be organized in a way that will help people easily discover what they may need help in or want information about student legal services.

Patterns of Hypertext

Which pattern do you think will work best for your hypertext for Project #4? Why?

The cycle pattern (as for now) would fit my hypertext desighn the best. This is due becuse the hypertext will have roughly 10 pages. Most of the other hypertext designs require many pages of hypertext in order to get the full potential of the design. In addition, truthfully I am warry of any internet site that does not have a cycle pattern. Not to have a "home" link to the webpage dosent seem to fit the mold of web pages. I knowI am novice in the subject but I do have experience in browsing and the classic format of the cycle best fits the mold of all text pages.

I do not have my topic in its full idealized form but I will most likely write about politics. The cycle pattern would be best for this subject because most government webpages and political sites incorporate this pattern.

Hypertext Gardens

First, describe your experience of reading Hypertext Gardens, as well as your overall response to the piece. Second, describe what rhetorical choices the author made that you believe encouraged you to have these experiences and responses.

To be honest when I first started to read "Hypertext Gardens" I was a little annoyed. The information was short and blocky. I did not know where I was going to proceed next. The site seemed more like a garden maze (as in the movie the Shinning). The site lacked a overall map of the web pages. Having a map, or at least a button that says home, would have been more benificial. Even most big gardens have maps. With this aside the informatation about how to design webpages was very good. It encouraged me to keep on clicking the links. Also, having the links in diffrent pages helpted me pay attention to the text better. The author's use of pictures helped focus a idea that he was explaining into reality. Using the pictures in turn helped me to visualize what he was talking about. Lastly, having the header hypertext gardens provided continuty in the webpage. I did not feel that I was leaving the site and the diffrent hyperlinks made it interesting to go through the varous webpages.

Blog # 3

What does Kress mean by multimodality? Also, write down one sentence or point to a section that confuses you and try to deduce what Kress means.

Well, let me begin with saying that I spent over an hour looking over Kress's chapter and I can safely conclude that I have no idea what it means. But I cant really end the blog here, so I will give it a futile try. Kress mentions "multimodal" on page 43. By using this word, he implies that multiple genres that could be used in one text. With the students he points out that they are writing scientifically while writing for their teacher. This would be two modes of genre within one piece of work. He later concludes that most works have overlapping genre.

"The question is, what is it that we want to mean, and what modes and genres are best for realizing that meaning" (39).

From this passage Kress is stating that you have to decide what you want. Then you must decide on the most opproptrite genre that would best send your message. You have to choose wisely on the genre you use because that will add or take away from the intent of your message.

Blog # 2
What is Blair's main argument? Do you agree with him? Why or why not?
Blair’s main point consists of having visual argument being what it is, an actual argument. He also states that visual argument is not something new, but it has always been apart of a argument. People have not correlated visual and rhetoric together. Blair is arguing that visual arguments is just another type of rhetoric. As far as I agree with him or not I am a little torn between the two. I can see the logical connection between visual design and rhetoric; but I have this is the first time I have actually thought about it. Regardless what Blair states that visual rhetoric is not new; it is new to the world of academia. Because visual rhetoric is new, it will take a lot of work to “sell” it as a cannon of rhetoric.