Questions:
Why does Stein choose to bring in so many references?
Why does Stein choose to write essay at this point in time?
In Sarah Stein’s “The “1984” Macintosh Ad:
Cinematic Icons and Constitutive Rhetoric in the Launch of a New Machine”
essay, she talked about technology and the ‘Big Brother’ figure and it’s
control over brainwashed and robotized masses. We live in a society that is
slowly being taken over and controlled by technology. She relates how the
computer revolution in the Western societies will dictate how our social and
economic relationships will play out. She talks about the history of Apple and Steve Job. She brings in many references from The Wizard of Oz to The Terminator.
I think Stein wanted to research and write this essay because during the time she wrote it Apple and technology were starting to slowly take over Western society and the way we think. She wants the readers to think about the
commercial and the time we are living in now. The kind of change Sarah Stein is
seeking from her readers is exactly what her essay is about: revolution. Sarah Stein goes back and relates
this essay to how technology and the love and want for it are slowly taking
over our society. “The computer revolution in advanced Western societies
insinuates electronic mediation to communications to an unprecedented degree
and increasingly dictates how our social and economic relationships will be
played out.” (Stein 189).
In my writing, I see myself engaging with people like myself. People in my class who have received the same assignment as me. I can see myself building relations with people my age who are writing about the same things as me. My writing works to make this relationship productive by relating to what my audience is talking about in their assignments. Also, I make sure my work is reliable and trustworthy.
What was most interesting to me in other people's writings were that we had very similar ideas and viewpoints. We just went different ways about explaining them and used different writerly choices to help prove our points. What was most interesting about my writing was the writerly choices I chose to focus on. While revising my essay, I'll make sure to incorporate my feelings in my text rather than just summarizing Orlean's piece. I will be sure to incorporate some of the things I've said in my blogs.
For my first essay I really didn't consider my audience. In my next essay I will consider my audience.I think the people I am writing to are people like me. People who felt some type of way about taxidermy, but were changed by reading Susan Orlean's piece. My tone is more explaining. I was explaining what Susan Orlean did in "Lifelike" and why. I think my essay is set apart from my classmates for the simple fact that the things I'm saying in it are my thoughts and opinions, so it will automatically be different from anyone else.
Why does Susan Orlean choose to give such an in depth background on taxidermy?
I think Susan Orlean chose to give such an in depth background on taxidermy so her readers can understand what it is. She states that
taxidermy has been around since the eighteenth century. Even though it had
scientific value, it was still looked at like a black art. Later in time,
people started taking taxidermy more serious. She states that taxidermy schools
begin to open and in 1971, the National Taxidermy Association was formed. “As
long as taxidermy served to preserve wild animals and make them available for
study, it was viewed as an honorable trade,” (Orlean 2). Starting off reading
this text, I too felt that taxidermy was something like a “black art”. It did
not seem normal or anything like a hobby to me. After reading all the things
Orlean incorporated in the text, it made me switch my views. I now know that
people actually invest money and time into these events and that they are taken
very seriously.
Why does Susan Orlean choose to incorporate a lot of taxidermist conversations into this piece?
Susan Orlean
quotes a lot of the taxidermists at the convention so you can get a feel at how
serious they take this hobby. “I knew a fellow with cattle, and I told him. ‘If
you ever have one stillborn, I’d really like to have it.’ I thought it would
make a really nice mount.” (Orlean 1). A woman in the whitetail division told
Susan Orlean that she loved deer and that they are her “babies”. This weirded
me out. I feel that Orlean wanted the reader to feel this way though. She
wanted her reader to feel a certain way about taxidermy and the people who
partake in this hobby without verbally incorporating her feelings.
One of Susan Orleans first writerly choices was going into depth about taxidermy. I think she chose to do this because she wanted to give insight to her readers to what she was talking about. She wanted us to know the history of taxidermy so we can see that it is something that people actually take serious.
A second writerly choice that Susan Orlean chooses to portray is quoting a lot of taxidermist conversations at the taxidermy convention. A woman in the
whitetail division told Susan Orlean that she loved deer and that they are her
“babies”. This weirded me out. I feel that Orlean wanted the reader to feel
this way though. She wanted her reader to feel a certain way about taxidermy
and the people who partake in this hobby without verbally incorporating her
feelings.
A third choice that Susan Orlean chooses to incorporate was her tone. She had a very neutral tone. Orlean was more of an informer in this piece. She gave background information on the topic and
informed her readers on what all happens with taxidermy and at the conventions.
She didn’t give her own opinion about how she felt on taxidermy. This would
have made the article less appealing to the reader because it would have been
bias. We would have automatically sided with her if she went on and on about
how gross taxidermy was. Instead, she
keeps the reader interested.
