Paper URL Repost!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12C2dRebfYQY7af51qbk45cq22Z1Usr7fKNyWnE19HFM/edit?hl=en_US

Link to Paper!!!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12C2dRebfYQY7af51qbk45cq22Z1Usr7fKNyWnE19HFM/edit?hl=en_US

The Real Reality

Reality is that which defines the features of our surroundings. There are frontiers of modern science which have began to shake the foundations of the description of reality. Some say that this world is nothing more than a computer simulation because at the quantum level things become pixelated. I believe that reality is based on human bias. There is no way of telling if the world disappears when we are not looking. There is no way to define anything other than what we define as real. Real is anything within human existence. Saying that dreams are not real would be a false statement, because they do actually occur and there is a measurable biological process behind it. Within reality lies actuality. Things which we as humans perceive to be flawlessly existent and ever dependent to be "real" are what we "actually" experience throughout daily life. There are other things which are real that people either do not know about, or pass off as hoax. I am not claiming the existence of aliens or sasquatches, but many inherent aspects of life are known only by a few people. Imagine a cosmologist explaining the origins of the universe to a grade school child. The child would be so perplexed he would not even be able to try to understand it. Some things which fit into the category of real may be so complex and startling that we as human beings do not have the mental capacity to grasp them. Real is not only what shapes our lives, it is also what gives us life.

Organization

This is a great dance video from the french pop singer, Yelle. The obvious organization of the video is to fit the tune of the song. But, there are also other things related to how the dancers are presented. It at first just shows one dancer. He is being highlighted as the leader of the group and the other two begin the video by simply swaying about in the background. As the song builds they enter and begin dancing in the background, but they are still overshadowed by the main dancer. Then, it goes to scenes showing each person dancing individually, and finally finishes with all the dancers being portrayed equally. This shows an organizational build-up from the individual to the team.

Sculptural Rhetoric

This is a sculpture/monument which has the name of an honorable teacher from every year since it was built. The bell above the names of the instructors is a symbol of prestige and the large brick structure which holds it up shows the strength of the teachers. This picture shows something which is very simple, yet very eye-catching. A passerby would not simply glimpse at this and move on, he or she would inquire as to what the stone plaque has written on it. I definitely find this form of rhetoric to be very interesting. Nobody walks by a sculpture without wondering its purpose.

Questions for paper!

1. How effective is the use of subliminal messaging in advertising?

2. How do people react when finding they have been persuaded by the use of subliminal messaging?

Web Pages That Suck

Bad Website: http://www.videosoniclab.com/
This website deserves the title of a badly designed site because it is simply too overwhelming. There are way too many colors, all of which contrast sharply with one another. The page looks as if it came off of a middle school student's computer class slide show. There is no open space to rest one's eyes from the blaring colors and multitude of links.

Good Website: http://www.space.com/
This is one of my favorite websites and it certainly has a good design. The website is based around space, so it makes sense to have a mostly black theme. It contains easy to navigate links and exciting pictures to go along with the cover stories. The background depicts an interesting cosmological image but not to intriguing as to be distracting. There is great, non-disturbing contrast between the background and the writing and an overall intelligent feel to the website.

Magazine Article

Schefter, Jim. "Rocket's Red Glare." Popular Science Aug. 2000: 52-56. Web.

The article does exactly what its title and caption say it will do. A reporter takes reader inside a previously secret Russian rocket facility that was hidden from even American spy satellites during the cold war. It explains how they kept the facility so well hidden and kept the noise levels to a minimum. I found their methods of concealing it very intriguing as the building workings are explained; "The rocket's exhaust blasts into a cavernous containment, mixes with high-flow, high pressure water, then is routed through baffles and up the tower" (Schefter 55). I find this method amazing, but the cover picture shows a rocket blasting off seemingly space bound when the writing is about testing rockets out of public awareness. Another thing I found interesting was in the quote, "he's talking about transferring advanced technology from them to us. Role reversal, what a concept" (Schefter 56). The title on the cover seems to me to be a somewhat fearful phrase, but this quote makes it seem beneficial to us that the Russians have their rocket facility.

Research!

Book 1: HF5827.9.P78
This book is entitled The Psychology of Entertainment Media. It relates to the appeals used in advertisement which we have been studying and has information about the persuasive techniques used.

Book 2: BF633.S77
This book is entitled Brainwash. If my topic ends up relating to subliminal messaging, I believe this will be a good source with lots of pertinent information.

Freewrite

Normally, a free write would not be difficult for me. I would absolutely love being given free reign to mindlessly blabber my thoughts for others to see and hopefully chuckle at. This free write is aimed at finding a purpose/topic for my upcoming paper and I have been told that abortion is not a good idea. Being that my last paper was based on an advertisement for a car, which is pretty much the most boring topic one could possibly choose, I would like to choose something absolutely awesome for this paper. It needs to be something that I will enjoy researching and writing about to break free from the ball and chain of mundane paper assignments. Since I am not sure of what this paper will be aimed at doing, I must simply write down possible topics to explore based on the mystery objective. My interests in life lie in extreme sports, science and math, and anything bizarre or odd. From these categories I can concoct ideas ranging from Mount Ararat, to the benefit of quantum mechanics in society, to the lifestyles of Shaolin monks. I believe I am supposed to debate an issue in this paper since abortion was given as an example. Therefore, my next proposal will be the use of subliminal messaging in advertising. Since rhetoric has been the focus of this class since the beginning, I believe this to be an appropriate topic. There should be a lot of usable information on the subject and it is very interesting. This may not be the topic which I end up using for my paper, but for this five minute free write I find myself proud of coming up with such an intriguing idea. Not only is this idea exciting, but it relates to our focus on rhetoric in advertising and should provide a good avenue for research.

Mind Mapping

Does it suck?

• Republicans most certainly do not suck, for it is liberals which suck.
• Barack Obama does not suck, he is a great leader and speaker.
• Harry Potter does not suck, it is one of the greatest series known to mankind.
• Apple sucks, it caters to liberals and is nothing less than inferior to a PC.
• Star Wars does not suck, it is the undisputed greatest series of all time. I very highly doubt it will ever be surpassed in awesomeness.
• Facebook sucks, it wastes our time and makes people fat when they could be outside doing cool stuff.
• McDonald's sucks, their ice cream machines are always broken so I can never get a milk shake
• Clemson does not suck, it is a prestigious academic institution and tigers are very vicious and enjoy devouring chickens.
• Lady Gaga does not suck, she is outlandish and unique yet is attractive to all audiences.
• Justin Bieber sucks, he will eventually hit puberty and his music will all be faker than it already is.
• Sudoku's suck, I have always considered myself good at math and puzzles yet I never have the patience to finish one of these.
• Avatar does not suck, blue people with tails and flying mounts, need I say more?
• Xbox sucks, this is even better than Facebook at making people fat and keeping them from going outside and doing cool stuff.
• American Idol does not suck, although I am personally not a watcher I like the idea of allowing people to showcase their talents.
• Glee does not suck, the cast members have great voices and good songs are usually chosen.
• Cigarettes suck, they smell terrible, lead to lots of litter, and need I mention they kill people?
• Guns suck, a real way to fight is man-to-man combat with cool karate moves and pure strength.
• Abortion sucks, the choice to engage in acts which cause pregnancy leads to the necessary repercussions.
• Clothed dogs suck, I am not even sure how to defend this, it just makes me want to punch their owners.

Writing

Thus far, my writing has pretty much been on target with what Mr. B himself said to do. I just sit down and write. I wrote my whole paper in two separate sittings and although I plan to go back and revise a good bit, I found that my ideas flowed most gracefully without a break in thought. I wrote an outline for my paper, did a bit of research, then just let all my ideas come together in a hopefully effective fashion. In order to best write I prefer to be sitting upright in a room with music. A quiet room does not let me focus in because I have way too many crazy thoughts that pop into my head whereas music keeps me focused on the task at hand. I prefer to have a tall, cool glass of water by my side but I am always scared of it spilling on my computer so I usually keep it within a standing reach distance of my desk. Liquids keep me hydrated and I feel as though I consume more than the average person at college, which could be due to the fact that I have a pi shaped ice tray and they produce the coolest ice on Earth. That may have been a massive digression but I do really need water by my side to write and the best thing for me is to have an extended period to sit down and get it all done at once. I prefer to write a paper, read through it once checking solely for grammatical errors, then come back later and revise it for content, structure, etc.

Twix Bar Observations

Golden

Red writing

White outline

Shiny

Shadows on words

Rectangular

Pinched edges

5 words

Few crumples

Rounded edges

Large name

Small description

Perfect handheld size

Lots of words on reverse

Lightweight

Pledge to Not Plagiarize

I, Brandon Lee Burkholder, hereby do pledge to never steal/copy the work of any group or individual and claim it my own. This treachery would be an act of heresy, a breach of personal morals, and an infringement of the Clemson University rules which I adhere to strictly for personal betterment. Actions considered plagiarism in any way shall be frowned upon, and are punishable by repercussions worse than death.  I attend an academic institution for the pursuit of knowledge and a desire for success. I plan to use my own ideas as my own, and those of others as carefully researched, documented, and cited resources as aids.

Crocodiles

Crocodiles are majestic, powerful, and amazing creatures. They are often the victim of harsh derision from humans due to their frightening appearance but when truly admired the creature is nothing less than awe-inspiring. The crocodile boasts massive muscles, an impenetrable hide, and strong jaws nearly unmatched in the animal kingdom. A reptile which science tells us has existed for millions of years, the crocodile is not only a leviathan of the swamps, but it is also swift and graceful. The hunting maneuvers and swimming techniques used by the crocodile are second to none which is why this animal has gone unchanged for such a long period of time. As for taking down prey, the crocodile could possibly be one of the most efficient and feared aquatic menaces. It is quick on land, agile in the water, and has an arsenal of weapons comparable to a modern war machine. The beast of the wetlands is a creature which deserves more respect than fear simply for its fascinating features.

Crocodiles are ridiculous looking, silly, and lame creatures. They may be a being of frightening might, but they lull about all day basking in the sun and wasting away. They have massive eyes which bulge from atop their heads and long snouts which both contribute to one of the strangest figures evolution has ever designed. A myriad of crazy scale patterns, uneven coloring, and the seemingly random placement of spines on its back make the creature look as if it were an elementary student’s drawing. The crocodile has the potential to be an interesting beast, but its hodgepodge look and dull character make it less than exciting.

Rhetorical Analysis

For viewing purposes in order to properly connect with my writings, my selected picture can be found here: http://www.giantbomb.com/crazy-taxi/61-9112/ on the far right of the page. The argument being created here is obviously the graphic designer and game creators attempting to persuade people to play the game. This image would be place on the front cover of the video game case in order to grab the attention of a store browser. It caters to the excitement and thrills that a shopper is looking for from many age groups. The picture portrays fun and enjoyment, which a parent shopping for their child would most definitely be looking for, and it also contains bright colors and ridiculous scenarios which captivate a shopper. The basis of the game is also one which can draw someone in. The whole purpose of the cover art of the game is to pull in potential buyers and the title is simply "Crazy Taxi" which on first thought definitely seems both "crazy" and fun. The picture on the game communicates the excitement within the box and tries to cater to a wide audience for maximum moneymaking ability. The message here is clearly to buy the game, play it, and euphoria will follow, but I would not like to expand on an idea previously mentioned, the premise of the game. A game based on a taxi driving makes a simple mundane task into a pleasurable experience. It shows a taxi smashing into a shopping cart and a San Fransisco-esque scenery in the background. Potential buyers would consider the comedic value of creating an action packed game out of an everyday experience and be more likely to purchase the game.

All About Me!

The most important aspect about me is my athletic career. Soccer has pretty much taken the overwhelming majority of my time since the beginning of high school and now as a Clemson athlete I can only hope to survive in such a brutal college setting. I am an avid enthusiast for wakeboarding, golfing, astronomy, and eating. This last interest may seem quite strange, but mealtime is a part of everyday which I know I can enjoy and certainly do not take for granted as I consider the plight of the hungry population in this world. I often enjoy eating competitions with my friends and I find it is a great way of building camaraderie. Something which I truly hate is having to sit idle and/or do nothing for an extended period of time. I have previously mentioned that I am a student athlete, and I find that my restless pursuit for personal enjoyment can rarely be fulfilled with such tasks as watching television and mindless web-surfing. I rather prefer activities which require athletic ability and cater to my passion for excitement. I would like to portray my academic stature in a way which comes off with as little arrogance as possible. I find myself to be amongst the stealthiest of the geek/nerd population. I openly depict myself as an intelligent yet sociable person while in my free time I pursue knowledge in math and science ardently for my own enjoyment. I often find my friends unable to fully grasp some of the jokes I make simply because of their intellectual nature. Lastly, I would like to comment that I often find myself writing very flowery and in a roundabout manner but I feel that my personal voice is best reflected in this way.