My embarrassing story happened in Stillwater, Oklahoma in August of 1991. My husband Dan and I moved to Stillwater so he could go to Oklahoma State University (OSU). We chose OSU because it was the only university at the time that had a bachelor degree in fire protection and safety engineering. As a former firefighter my husband felt that a four-year degree in fire protection and safety would give him an edge over others in his career.
We arrived in Stillwater around midnight. Coming from the mountains of Colorado we were both physically and mentally exhausted. As we were carrying in our boxes I noticed one of the largest spiders I have ever seen hanging from a nearby web. Unfortunately the huge spider and its web was between me and the back door. I told my husband to get rid of the spider so I can come and go as I pleased. I did not want to have to walk all the way around to the front of the house to unload the truck.
Dan pondered how to get rid of a huge spider without the benefit of having tools since all of our stuff was still loaded in our truck. As a former firefighter my husband’s knowledge of fire was inspirational to him. He knew we had an aerosol can of starter fluid behind the seat of our truck. Dan also knew that our new rental house had a gas stove in the kitchen. This meant that matches would be near the stove so one could light the flame. He put the can of starter fluid and matches together and created a flame thrower. I thought this was an ingenious way to get rid of the spider without having to get too close to it. Unfortunately both my husband and I did not anticipate the flammability of the spider web or the fact that the entire back side of our two-story rental house was covered in cobwebs.
As Dan sprayed the aerosol and lit the match the flame thrower shot a huge flame engulfing the spider web. Like a set of dominoes collapsing on one another, the burning spider web started a chain reaction that lit the cob webs closest to it. Soon the entire back of our two-story rental house was engulfed in flames and was rolling out from underneath the eaves. Our two dogs and I took off running to the back of the yard, occasionally looking backward as we ran, as my husband ran around looking for a garden hose to put out the fire. As he headed over to a neighbor’s house to borrow their garden hose my husband noticed the fire was already out. Fortunately for us there is not a lot of fuel in cob webs and the fire burned itself out.
Dan and I still laugh at the memory of the look on our dogs faces as our house was burning. Also hilarious to us is the thought of how my husband would explain to his fire protection and safety teachers how he burned his house down the first day we moved to Stillwater. It was apparent to my husband and I that my husband knew just enough about fire to be dangerous. We also decided that he definitely could use fire protection and safety training. Importantly, I learned never to ask my husband to get rid of a pest if there are flammable liquids around.
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In Scott McCloud’s “The Vocabulary of Comics” the process of amplification through simplification is explained and illustrated. McCloud explains, “When we abstract an image through cartooning, we’re not so much eliminating details as we are focusing on specific details.” (199). Amplification through simplification can be dangerous when one focuses on the wrong details or someone implies one thing when it is not the truth. An example of this is political races such as Obama against McCain. Many in the media implied Obama was a Muslim by drawing a cartoon of him with a turban on his head.
Citation:
McCloud, Scott. “The Vocabulary of Comics.” Visual Rhetoric in a Digital World. Ed.
Carolyn Handa. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. 195-208.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Blog 1
In the book “Contemporary Perspectives on Rhetoric”, authors Sonja K. Foss, Karen A. Foss and Robert Trapp describe rhetoric as, “the human use of symbols to communicate”(1). I think they are saying rhetoric is the use of words by humans to communicate a message.
First, Foss, Foss, and Trapp describe humans as being the only animals capable of communication by arbitrary symbols. The arbitrary symbols humans use are words. Although not all words are arbitrary many are and as an example the book used the word kitchen. Kitchen is used to describe where we cook our food but it really does not tell us anything.
Next, they explain the difference between signs and symbols. When the two are used as rhetoric and when they are not. The example that clarified the differences for me is the tree. A tree in and of itself is not a symbol. However a Christmas tree is a symbol to many people. An important part of the readings is that the symbol does not have the same meaning to everyone. Miscommunication occur because everyone has their own ideas of what certain symbols represent.
I personally have seen this happen many times. Since I have lived all over America I have learned each region has their own ideas as to what is acceptable to discuss, what words should be used, and when it is appropriate to have discussions. The cultural difference can be vast even within our country.
In my anthropology classes we have learned that for one culture of people being quiet unless you have something important to say is the norm. Other cultures are loud, boisterous, and even obnoxious to the outside world. If you want to communicate effectively to people you must know what acceptable behavior is in their society.
Recently, in my biology class we had a discussion board about evolution. As a science minded person when someone would post that “evolution is just a theory“I would cringe and try very hard to explain what a “theory” is to me and in the science field. I finally realized what they understood about evolution came from their cultural background and I would not be able to sway them. My only hope was to make these students think about things a little differently.
Rhetoric Definitions:
"Rhetoric is the art of framing an argument so that it can be appreciated by an audience."
"American Rhetoric: Definitions of Rhetoric." American Rhetoric: The Power of Oratory in the
United States. Web. 24 Aug. 2010. <http://www.americanrhetoric.com/rhetoricdefinitions.htm>.
The literal meaning of the word in English is the art of speaking or writing effectively.
"Chapter 1: Origin and Definition of Rhetoric." Brightrock Press Homepage. Web. 25 Aug. 2010.
<http://www.brightrockpress.com/popsample.htm#chapter1>.
First, Foss, Foss, and Trapp describe humans as being the only animals capable of communication by arbitrary symbols. The arbitrary symbols humans use are words. Although not all words are arbitrary many are and as an example the book used the word kitchen. Kitchen is used to describe where we cook our food but it really does not tell us anything.
Next, they explain the difference between signs and symbols. When the two are used as rhetoric and when they are not. The example that clarified the differences for me is the tree. A tree in and of itself is not a symbol. However a Christmas tree is a symbol to many people. An important part of the readings is that the symbol does not have the same meaning to everyone. Miscommunication occur because everyone has their own ideas of what certain symbols represent.
I personally have seen this happen many times. Since I have lived all over America I have learned each region has their own ideas as to what is acceptable to discuss, what words should be used, and when it is appropriate to have discussions. The cultural difference can be vast even within our country.
In my anthropology classes we have learned that for one culture of people being quiet unless you have something important to say is the norm. Other cultures are loud, boisterous, and even obnoxious to the outside world. If you want to communicate effectively to people you must know what acceptable behavior is in their society.
Recently, in my biology class we had a discussion board about evolution. As a science minded person when someone would post that “evolution is just a theory“I would cringe and try very hard to explain what a “theory” is to me and in the science field. I finally realized what they understood about evolution came from their cultural background and I would not be able to sway them. My only hope was to make these students think about things a little differently.
Rhetoric Definitions:
"Rhetoric is the art of framing an argument so that it can be appreciated by an audience."
"American Rhetoric: Definitions of Rhetoric." American Rhetoric: The Power of Oratory in the
United States. Web. 24 Aug. 2010. <http://www.americanrhetoric.com/rhetoricdefinitions.htm>.
The literal meaning of the word in English is the art of speaking or writing effectively.
"Chapter 1: Origin and Definition of Rhetoric." Brightrock Press Homepage. Web. 25 Aug. 2010.
<http://www.brightrockpress.com/popsample.htm#chapter1>.
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