The Uncommon Life of Common Objects

Note: As I read this article /wrote this post my head feels as if I were hit by a semi shooting down the Dan Ryan Expressway at 80 miles per hour late for a delivery so my apologies if things don't quite connect I am sure I will be posting a revised or more connected article as soon as I feel better (with all hopes tomorrow).

And on that note I shall carry on.


I jumped into this essay thinking that I already knew what I was getting. I expected the same old spiel that you always hear "there is more to an object then what you think" and while this is true and every object has its story this is hardly the thought provoking essay I could pour over for hours. Then I got to this part of the essay:

"Because such moments in the domestic life of my own family encouraged me to investigate how ordinary things are shaped and used, it gave me all the more pleasure to realize that the same quotidian family life, at times, causes things to be the way they are..."

She goes on to give the following examples: 

"A vegetable peeler takes a new form because a man is trying to help his wife, who has arthritis; a lawn chair comes into being because another man wanted a place for his family to sit outdoors..."

This idea really struck me. While the idea of an objects value has so much to do with it's story and even boils down to just how much people are willing to pay out to own it. There is much more to it true meaning. Why is it the way it is and why is it being used the way we do? This essay has really led me to see that every object has two stories, that of it's owner and that of itself. While the owner maybe very interesting you, might never quite be able to wrap your head around the story of the item itself.

Ordinary things used in a new way Source: http://lubbockonline.com

Magazine Assignment

To my project partners sorry for being late my laptop dumped out and wouldn't connect to the dorm internet:

        Yesterday in class we were asked to bring in our favorite magazines. Two of us brought in Alternative Press (AP) Magazine and one brought in Seventeen Magazine. Now I know what you are thinking these are two VERY different magazines, and your right. As you flip through the pages of AP you see ads for tours, gauge companies, and CD releases. Now go through Seventeen, ads for clothing, makeup, chick flicks, and perfume. Obviously these two magazines are directed at two different audiences, but are they really that different? I don't think so. While the content and audience are different we see one common goal, each magazine wants to appeal to it's own sub-group. Seventeen appeals to, well, Seventeen year old girls and Alternative Press  appeals to the groups more interested in subculture and music found off of the mainstream. They both have the common goal of reaching these groups and they accomplish it in a similar manner through celebrity interviews, music review/suggestions, news pertaining to their demographic and advertisements for things their demographic wants to buy. So while I typically would not recommend Seventeen to a reader of AP or vice-verse they are very similar in what they try to achieve overall.

A Matter Of Scale by K.C. Cole Assignment 2

Class Assignment from Tuesday September 11th, 2012:

Page  91
Instructions answer questions under "Seeing" #'s 1 & 2.

Answer 1:

Cole finds something magically seductive in the wonders of a world smaller then ours saying it "casts spells that take us far beyond the realm of everyday living into exotic landscapes only accessible through the imagination." She seems to be awe struck by the almost magical feats things smaller then ourselves can accomplish as well as wonder what it would be like to be on their level.

Image Source: http://www.giantspectacular.com/

Cole's essay showed me a lot of things I had never realized before because I really do perceive things on my own scale.The most entertaining of my realizations was about the giant. Most people would think a giant is a scaled up human so naturally everything works out as far as the bodies support systems and ability to cope with the weight. When realistically if you were to double the size of a human with every step they would break their own bones! 

I think the fact that I really never put any thought into is rather simple the smaller you are the more electrical forces rule your physical abilities and limitations and the bigger you get the more molecules and gravity are in control. It seems like such a simple idea but when she mentioned how a ant sized typewriter could not work because the keys and the paper would stick together in a way that would make them useless.

Another rather amazing fact to me was how the size of something effects the lifespan of a being. The idea that a smaller creature runs on a faster internal clock and a bigger animal runs on a slower internal clock is amazing to me! It is fascinating how much the size of someone or something really effects how it lives and what it can do beyond the common sense limitations.

Image Source: http://blog.flickr.net/en/2007/05/30/there-aint-no-flies-on-us/

How will these ideas change my view on my daily world. Honestly I don't know if they really will. I know for a fact though it will cause me to question more why things happen the way they do. The example in this book (Seeing an Writing 4) about how I would view a fly landing in my soup after finding that liquid pulls on insects like gravity does on humans is a prime example of the things I would really think about more. It would cause me to ask "Is that fly just dumb and flew into my soup on purpose? Or maybe it was hungry and though it was solid? Or more likely did the fly come to close and get pulled down into the soup by the intense electric forces that act upon it at a molecular level." It may sound like absurd questions to ask yourself but they are now something for me to consider given this new information.


Answer 2

Image Source: http://freddysopenmind.blogspot.com

Cole seems to reference many different authorities in her essay to sum up her thoughts, drive home a point, or even to segue into another train of thought. The segment from Schrodinger Cole uses to end her essay really just brings everything back to where she began, the inability to comprehend the truly fantastic yet in some way unreal world of what happens at such a microscopic level.

Peter Menzel & Faith D'Aluisio

Class Assignment from Thursday September 6th, 2012:

Page 42.
Instructions answer questions under "Seeing" #'s 1 & 2.

Answer 1:

      Peter Menzel's photographs on the outside show four different families from four very different parts of the world and the foods they eat in a normal week. I feel that these photographs reveal even more then that. Each photo has its own references to each families culture, we see this in the clothes they wear, how they sit or stand, what they do or do not eat, and their dietary views. We also are keyed in to economic situations by the amounts of food, the brands, whether the food is natural/home grown or more processed and modern,`as well as the actual background of the photo itself. The background of the photo really eludes to so much we see the "class" of the family as well as where they are and what kind of conditions they live in.

Peter Menzel: 
Hungry Planet: What The World Eats "The Aboubakar Family of Chad"  
2004

      The picture of the family in Darfur can really inspire some great inferences. In the foreground of the picture we see the dried food and the use of dry goods like grains and starches tell us that they come from a preservationist kind of life style. We can also assume that this life style comes from the unrest in Darfur since the description of the photo explains it was taken at a refugee camp there. Behind the family we can see other refugee's tents and living space, it's very close quarters there doesn't seem to be a lot of personal space which could cause conflict among residents or more of a sense of community rallying together in a time of unrest in their country. Closer behind them is their tent. With a family of six people you can only imagine the kind of space constraints within that tent this would inevitably put restrictions on what amenities, comforts or even necessities the family is physically able to own. We can now focus on the family itself. We see a mother and five kids, but where is the father? Is he one of the men lounging under the tree? Has he been taken from his family by the unrest or maybe he has fallen victim to the violence leaving his family to have to move to a refugee camp and push on without him? The possible stories of this family go on and on as every day we see more gut wrenching tales come out of the country of Darfur.

      D'Aluisio's accompanying statements shed light on the economic situation in the country and of the family by showing how much they spend on food and (if not an American family) how that spending looks in our currency. We can also see the culture and tradition of the family through what they eat and what they prepare with the foods they purchase.

Answer 2:

Compare and Contrast:

Manzel's photo of the Fernandezes family gives us a good look into the American household and what they eat. Most of the food on the table is processed and loaded with preservatives, fake sugars or dyes. Also we see a lot of pre-made and prepackaged foods, these foods are notoriously loaded down with salts and preservatives. While their healthier food choices are similar to those of the Mendoza family with raw fruit and vegetables the quantity of theses foods that the Fernandez family consumes are nowhere near the quantities of the Mendoza family.

Above: Peter Manzel: Hungry Planet: What The World Eats  "The Fernandezes Family of Texas"

 The photo of the Mendoza family shows us a different perspective not only on culture and economics but also on proper eating and how it is important to them. We see huge amounts of fresh in season fruits and vegetables with only small amounts of packaged food. While sweet drinks, pop, and candies are all available to this family in their local market they decide that healthy food and waters are the best choice for them. Now is it fair to say either one of these lifestyles is right or wrong? No, but there are definite pros to living healthy and natural in the way the Mendoza family does.

Above: Peter Manzel: Hungry Planet: What The World Eats  "The Mendozas Family of Guatemala"

First Post!!!

So this is my blog for Writing and Rhetoric I! I don't know exactly how this will turn out but it will be an adventure none the less!! I also hope this turns out better then today's essay assignment.... hmmm.. well that's about it.