Hidden Meanings ~ A Response to “An Imperfect Reality"

    While reading Rebecca Hollingsworth’s essay titled An Imperfect Reality, I realized how much thought goes into a campaign or add without me even realizing it. Hollingsworth took an example of an autism ad and unravelled the logic behind presenting autism in that way. The commercial highlighted the fact that 1 in 150 kids have autism but only 1 in 7000 kids will become a top fashion designer. This statistic is an example of an advertisement appealing to logos and pathos. It appeals to logos because it is a true statistic, but it appeals to pathos because that number would scare any potential parent. Although the prospect is scary, it needs to be publicized.
    With a hidden, developmental disorder like autism, it is crucial for a parent to pick up on the symptoms early. These campaigns give moms a reality check that they shouldn’t just assume that their baby is immune to these types of disorders. But on a positive note, it reassures moms that their baby will do all the normal kid activities such as playing dress up.
     I enjoy uncovering the thought that goes into creating an advertisement. Its crazy how a 30 seconds commercial can be appealing to my emotions on so many different levels. Even a sponsor’s logo, such as autism’s puzzle piece, is the product of hours and hours of debate. While watching commercials over break I hope I can pick up on some of the sponsor’s tricks to appealing to my emotions.

Sechrest Assignment

        

         Inga Kimberly Brown’s oil painting entitled: The Belle of a Southern Mix, imediately drew my attention. The first thing I noticed about the painting was the pictures that hung around her neck. I immediately thought the painting was trying to convey something about the girl’s ancestry. After reading the description provided by the artist, I realized that Brown was struggling with an identity crisis due to her mixed heritage. The description went on to say that Brown had Native American, English, Scotch, and African American roots. The painting portrays those pieces of Brown’s history by having the girl in the picture wear an English dress, have on a Native American headband, and look primarily Native American in the face. 

The pictures themselves that hang around her neck show that Brown feels as though her ancestry is a part of her whether she likes it or not. Behind the girl’s head there are even more family pictures. Even though the girl is the center of the painting, it is hard to miss all of the family history that is sprinkled around the painting. The subject’s facial expression and the fact that the pictures are hung around her neck by a chain shows that the mixed heritage is more of a burden to Brown. Although sometimes family history is discussed positively by people, in Inga Brown’s case, it seems to be the opposite. Until recently, race was a defining trait that indicated how you were to be treated. I believe that having a racial identity crisis would cause Brown to question her self worth. 

My initial impressions of the painting were not wrong, but I did not dig deep enough. The placement of the portraits, the clothing choices, and the facial expression all allude to Inga Brown’s struggle to find her identity. 

Cave and Jail - My Word Report

 

     What is the connection between a jail and a cave? Initially, I made the connection that both a cave and a jail are isolated places, but after reading their etymology in the Oxford Dictionary,  I realize they have many similarities.

     The word ‘cave’ had the largest amount of definitions. The word ‘cave’ can refer to

1. A hollow place opening horizontally underground (n)
2.  The ash pit of a glass-furnace (n)
3. A succeeding group of politicians (n) (The gentlemen retired to their political cave)
4.  A colloquial abréviation of cavalier (n)
5. An unwieldy toss of the head, or of a limb (v) (Normally referring to cows and oxen)
6. A fall in the earth: a cave-in (n)
7. A hollow spot (n) (Sometimes in reference to the moon)
8. To excavate or hollow out (v)
9. To fall clumsily (v) (Sometimes in reference to pottery)
10. To yield to outward pressure (v) (“My lungs caved in from the pressure.”)
11. To be morally or physically undermined (v) (“I caved in to the peer pressure.”)
12. To smash or bash in (v)
13. To separate chaff from the corn (v)
14. A signal or warning (n)  (“Keep cave!”) -  Used in the mid 19th century by schoolchildren to warn their friends that a teacher was coming.

   The word ‘jail’ does not have near as many definitions.

1. A place or building used for the confinement or persons accused of crimes. (n)
2. To put someone in confinement (v)

   While looking at the etymology, I concluded that jail is based on the Latin word “cave". The word came into English in two forms, “jail" from Old French and “gayole" from Anglo-Norman French: originally pronounced with a hard g, as in “gale”.  The word was first used in 1604 to articulate that a prisoner would be held captive for life: “jailed for life”.  The newest way that jail can be used was created in 1934 as “jail bait”.

   The word “cave” has its roots in the Latin word “cava", from “caves”. The word was first used in 1220 to describe an underground opening. The newest way that jail can be used was created in 1959 as “keep cave!”. This usage originated in schools so that children could warn their friends that the teacher was coming.

   I was surprised that there are so many definitions for cave, while there are not many at all for jail. A lot of the definitions for cave included the words “separate”,”undermined”, and ”hollow spot”. These are all words that I think about when I hear the word jail. Both cave and jail have to do with a separation, a divide, between two things. To be jailed means to be separated from the public, while to cave means to separate a piece of corn from its husk.

The Genetic Lottery - A Response to “How I Lost the Junior Miss Pageant"

       

        Cindy Bosley created an essay that speaks about mother/daughter relationships and the genetic lottery. Cindy’s mother always wanted her daughter to be a pageant girl. Although Cindy’s aunt was the cheerleader that was blessed with all the looks, Cindy’s mother thought she could live vicariously through her daughter.
        As soon as Cindy entered the pageant, she came up with reasons why she had an equal shot at winning. It wasn’t long before she realized all the odds were stacked up against her. She was overweight, she didn’t meet the check box requirements, she couldn’t afford the expensive leg warmers, she had to wear her old prom dress, she couldn’t afford a nice headshot, and she didn’t have the right answers.
         By the end of the pageant, Cindy realized that she was bound to lose before the pageant began. There was nothing that she could have personally done to win it. She did not win the genetic lottery. She was not born into the right family. She did not grow up in the right neighborhood. She did not have the right finances. She was not trained to say the right answers. All around, Cindy did not fit the mold of a pageant princess.
        I like this essay a lot because it sheds light on the fact that a lot of our future is based upon uncontrollable circumstances. No matter how beautiful Cindy is naturally, she does not have the money that it takes to win the pageant. I know a lot of people who feel as though they are trapped in poverty. Without the resources to pursue their dreams, people fall back on the lifestyle of their parents.
        Cindy didn’t win the genetic lottery, and neither did a lot of people I know, but I believe that through personal determination and work, people can break through their uncontrollable circumstances. Life isn’t fair. While some people I know get a brand new Range Rover, others have to save up money from their minimum wage job for four years to buy a 1998 Oldsmobile. Those uncontrollable circumstances and inequalities do not give you an excuse not to try. Your future goals are still up to you; The amount of effort it takes to reach them is not.

The Comfort of Routine - A Response to “Mugged"

 

     In Jim Crockett’s excerpt called Mugged, he delves into the intrinsic desire humans have for stability and familiarity. For him, stability comes in the form of a coffee mug. To start off his day he grabs his mug. To complete a writing assignment he grabs his mug. At certain time intervals throughout his day, Crockett subconsciously grabs his mug. As an avid coffee drinker for fifty years, it isn’t much of a stretch to say that Crockett is addicted to his coffee. I learned a couple years ago that it takes twenty days to form a habit. I can’t imagine trying to break a habit that has been developing for fifty years.
    Crockett looks for the deeper meaning behind the coffee mug. Not only does it hold his coffee, but it “provides a bit of continuity in [his] daily doings.” For me, my cell phone provides that sense of security and continuity. No matter where I am, I reach for my cell phone.

The first thing I grab in the morning is my cell phone.

Right after class I grab my cell phone.

If I’m waiting in line I grab my cell phone.

Awkward silence in the elevator? I grab my cell phone.

    I find it absurd to even consider trying to break that habit. I believe everyone has a similar object that has a significance to them far deeper than its obvious uses. An example for someone else could be a planner, which provides people the feeling of control and order. No matter what it is, these objects have secretly been establishing there crucial role in our lives.

Lectures vs Discussion - A Response to "The Banking System of Education"

A typical lecture hall at large, public universities

       After reading Sage Witham’s article on how the gap between teachers and students is stripping students of a meaningful education, I began to consider my college experience thus far. I chose High Point University for a multitude of reasons, but a huge deciding factor for me was the class sizes. I loved knowing that I would be more than a number to my professors, and I have already found lifelong mentors in some of my instructors. 

       Similar to Witham, I had an amazing experience during my high school years. Although I attended a public high school, my class sizes were small, since I was in almost all AP classes. In comparison to the regular classes I took early on in high school, my AP classes were more discussion based. I left the class at the end of the year feeling like I had grown as a student and as a person. My teachers utilized the “problem-posing method” that Witham discusses in his article. I never felt like I was a computer struggling to store all of the information my teacher deposited into me. 

       Contrary to Witham, I would claim that the ability for the authority gap between student and teacher to shrink depends on the subject. In my math and history classes, although we did group work at times, the teacher mostly lectured at us, and I did not feel as though the teacher was failing in any way. History is not opinion based. Math is not opinion based. Although we would debate cases and the validity of a theorem, my role was to soak up the information. My AP English classes were the ones that reshaped my thinking and caused me to leave the class feeling changed. Tests were opinion based; If you could back up your answer, it could not be wrong. I loved how after reading a chapter in The Poisonwood Bible, my classmates would point out things that I never caught. The teacher would give us a basis of information about the book, but we would formulate our own opinions throughout. 

       Now that I am in college, I have had similar experiences. As a math and actuarial science major, the way math classes are taught is important to me. My class sizes in college have been small, and I always feel like the teacher is willing to help me. Although my math class was taught using the “banking” method, I would not have wanted it to be taught any other way. In sharp contrast, my honors religion course was completely discussion based with no formal tests or homework assignments. The religion class affected who I was as a person more than my math class, but that does not decrease the value of the math abilities I gained. 

        I have noticed a common theme between honors classes and the “problem-posing method”. The upper level students, both in high school and college, seem to be taught using a different method. The teachers of these high-achieving students seem to be more willing to see what the student’s take is on the material. I remember asking the director of the honors college why he trusts us to do the readings and watch the films without any form of testing afterwards. His response was that he knows that the students who want to be in the honors program are students who want to learn. 

      I don’t know if I can honestly say that all classes should be taught in a discussion based way. Sometimes the subject requires the teacher to unpack information in a more traditional way. Instructors also have to consider that some students will not do the assignments or take away anything from the class without the pressure to regurgitate facts in the form of tests and quizzes.