Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Reflection
This blog has been my first publicly open writing outlet and it has been a beneficial and interesting exercise. The opportunity to develop positions and freely respond to prompts has allowed me to better understand the topics of the posts and helped give me perspective on where I want to go in my academic future. The pubic aspect of these posts hasn’t had the impact I had expected but it has been informative to see peers perspective to the same issues. Overall the reflective insight the blogging aspect of this class has given me has changed the way I view keeping a journal. As I continue to pursue my education and take in to control my own education I will continue to use this form of expression to better my understanding.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
limmitations of Language
Language is only an invention of the human mind used as an extension of our natural capacity to interact in our environment. The situation in which we live our lives is tremendously diverse and monolithic compared to the rhetorical situation which oral and written language are used. The entirety of experience relies on the complete physical stimulation which evolution has allowed us which includes the capability to touch, smell, hear, taste, and see. Language is limited to what is audible and visual although our perceptions can be manipulated by other sensations. I do not consider language in the traditional sense to be entirely dependent on anything other than sight or hearing. Therefore, to fully experience life one must go beyond the limitation of relying solely on language, go beyond rhetoric and expand consciousness to surpass what is achieved through human communication.
We have adapted to use language in every aspect of our lives so much so that we are dependent on it. The majority of the experiences people have involves language, making it hard to distinguish one experience from the other. Language being indistinguishable from many of our experiences does not make it representative of all experiences. It is a part of a far more complex and diverse cognitive process that gives us our perception of life.
When life is allowed to exist only as a series of abstractions there is a disconnect between what is and what we perceive. If we were to consider language fully representative of all experiences then I think it would be a result of imposed restrictions. Restrictions like taking our strong connection to society and limiting experiences to those involving forms of social interaction. Then further social interaction could be restricted to popular outlets like texting, Facebook , Twitter or even blogs . When the norm becomes a series of restricted practices it is easy to forget or become oblivious to other ways of experiencing. This narrow-minded perception of experience is achieved through subtracting from life more and more things until all that’s left are a handful of practices that define who you are. In this sense language could be fully representative of someone’s total experience. But it doesn’t have to be and I think it would be a travesty if it were.
Closing thought
First I want to say thank you to those who have visited our cohort blog and left comments in this last post. It is your response that makes this blog more interesting.
It has been a wonderful though a bit overwhelming semester for me and I am glad I learned something about the language and rhetoric. I have learned the rhetorical triangle, the dynamic of language, and how that balance among logos, pathos and ethos makes language so engaging and powerful. And in the discussion for each of the three elements within the triangle, I learned what helps and hampers each and how each impacts the overall argument.
My biggest takeaway in this class is that I am more sensitive and willing to pay attention to the language. Before I took this class, I would not focus much on the language itself but mainly on the ideas that it tries to convey when I read something. But now intuitively I am more likely to consider: How does it achieve the goal of conveying these ideas? Can it be expressed in another way? When I sit in a pizza restaurant, I may even stare at slogans the on the wall, deciding whether this is a good advertisement in my mind and this is something I will not do before.
Although the writing assignments in this class are time-consuming, they push me to think deeper and develop a considerable length of paragraph to present my argument and I think it is effective to train my writing skills because it is easier to write a few sentences, but much more difficult to develop an organized and well supported paragraph.
Overall, this course leaves me a lot of thoughts and I do have an enjoyable semester.
It has been a wonderful though a bit overwhelming semester for me and I am glad I learned something about the language and rhetoric. I have learned the rhetorical triangle, the dynamic of language, and how that balance among logos, pathos and ethos makes language so engaging and powerful. And in the discussion for each of the three elements within the triangle, I learned what helps and hampers each and how each impacts the overall argument.
My biggest takeaway in this class is that I am more sensitive and willing to pay attention to the language. Before I took this class, I would not focus much on the language itself but mainly on the ideas that it tries to convey when I read something. But now intuitively I am more likely to consider: How does it achieve the goal of conveying these ideas? Can it be expressed in another way? When I sit in a pizza restaurant, I may even stare at slogans the on the wall, deciding whether this is a good advertisement in my mind and this is something I will not do before.
Although the writing assignments in this class are time-consuming, they push me to think deeper and develop a considerable length of paragraph to present my argument and I think it is effective to train my writing skills because it is easier to write a few sentences, but much more difficult to develop an organized and well supported paragraph.
Overall, this course leaves me a lot of thoughts and I do have an enjoyable semester.
Can language capture the enormity of experience?
Can language capture the enormity of experience? The answer of this question depends on the purpose of language and the situations that influences the language.
When language just serves as a tool of communication, such as an academic paper, business reports and presentation, or any situation that requires formal and professional language, logos is the priority in order to capture the enormity and complexity of the authors’ ideas because in these situations, audiences are expecting a clear explanation and illustration from the authors rather than artfully crafted and flowery language. In other words, as long as the organization and structure of the paper or the presentation is clear and logical, the enormity of the authors’ idea should be able to convey.
It is much more demanding when language is beyond communication and needed to be artfully crafted. For example, the language in literature, in movies especially those literary films, and in dramas, is so beautifully crafted and delivered and full of emotions. The ideas in an academic paper or business reports are concrete and can be supported by examples or data, however, in literature and movies, the theme can be very vague and sentimental, which is much more difficult and abstract to describe. Therefore, pathos plays a more dominant role in these situations, where audiences are not expecting a straightforward explanation but emotional appeals and artfully crafted language. In these situations, one of the most common strategy is making emotional appeals which let audiences feel the feelings of the characters. It is often the case that the emotion of the characters is very complicated and contradicted, thus to state it directly may not be a good idea since it is too challenging not to confuse the audiences. Rather, sometimes silence means everything.
The most touching and impressive emotional appeals I have seen is in the Academy award film, “The Reader”, where the technique of letting the audiences fill in the “blank” left by the character is employed. At the end of the film, Michael Berg visited the Jewish woman whose family were killed in Auschwitz by Hanna Schmitz and confessed his relationship with Hanna, “we had an affair when I was in youth, but…”. After these words, Michael sat there deep in thought. He didn’t continue his words, such as saying “but I can not forget her.’’ He controlled his emotion and did not say what the audiences are expecting him to say, however his words capture much more than he says out. That moment in the movie is the most emotion-arousing moment for me just because he didn’t say and I had to fill in the blank, which can have so many possibilities. It may be a mixed feeling of regretted, mercy, painful, and remorse for Hanna and it brings the audiences into a deeper level of emotion, deeper than the feeling of missing a former relationship. Often in the movies, which only have limited time for a convoluted story, this technique of having the audiences to imagine the “silence” works surprisingly well.
Language can convey much more than it says because of the amazing fact that people can understand not only the explicit words but the implicit meaning in language. Besides movies, this technique can also apply to other situations where the language is manipulated and crafted to be a deviation from usual way. For example, tropes and pathetic figure are the rhetorical tools that plays with language. In both cases, there are implicit meanings behind, the prototype that is represented by them. I think that provides a possibility for language to capture the enormity of experiences and emotion. That’s why language is a form of art when it serves more than communication.
When language just serves as a tool of communication, such as an academic paper, business reports and presentation, or any situation that requires formal and professional language, logos is the priority in order to capture the enormity and complexity of the authors’ ideas because in these situations, audiences are expecting a clear explanation and illustration from the authors rather than artfully crafted and flowery language. In other words, as long as the organization and structure of the paper or the presentation is clear and logical, the enormity of the authors’ idea should be able to convey.
It is much more demanding when language is beyond communication and needed to be artfully crafted. For example, the language in literature, in movies especially those literary films, and in dramas, is so beautifully crafted and delivered and full of emotions. The ideas in an academic paper or business reports are concrete and can be supported by examples or data, however, in literature and movies, the theme can be very vague and sentimental, which is much more difficult and abstract to describe. Therefore, pathos plays a more dominant role in these situations, where audiences are not expecting a straightforward explanation but emotional appeals and artfully crafted language. In these situations, one of the most common strategy is making emotional appeals which let audiences feel the feelings of the characters. It is often the case that the emotion of the characters is very complicated and contradicted, thus to state it directly may not be a good idea since it is too challenging not to confuse the audiences. Rather, sometimes silence means everything.
The most touching and impressive emotional appeals I have seen is in the Academy award film, “The Reader”, where the technique of letting the audiences fill in the “blank” left by the character is employed. At the end of the film, Michael Berg visited the Jewish woman whose family were killed in Auschwitz by Hanna Schmitz and confessed his relationship with Hanna, “we had an affair when I was in youth, but…”. After these words, Michael sat there deep in thought. He didn’t continue his words, such as saying “but I can not forget her.’’ He controlled his emotion and did not say what the audiences are expecting him to say, however his words capture much more than he says out. That moment in the movie is the most emotion-arousing moment for me just because he didn’t say and I had to fill in the blank, which can have so many possibilities. It may be a mixed feeling of regretted, mercy, painful, and remorse for Hanna and it brings the audiences into a deeper level of emotion, deeper than the feeling of missing a former relationship. Often in the movies, which only have limited time for a convoluted story, this technique of having the audiences to imagine the “silence” works surprisingly well.
Language can convey much more than it says because of the amazing fact that people can understand not only the explicit words but the implicit meaning in language. Besides movies, this technique can also apply to other situations where the language is manipulated and crafted to be a deviation from usual way. For example, tropes and pathetic figure are the rhetorical tools that plays with language. In both cases, there are implicit meanings behind, the prototype that is represented by them. I think that provides a possibility for language to capture the enormity of experiences and emotion. That’s why language is a form of art when it serves more than communication.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Closing Statement
I would like to use this last entry to thank anyone who took the time to read or who took an interest in any of my blog posts. Blogging was a new experience for me. I was unsure of it at first, but I have enjoyed posting my thoughts on our blog throughout the semester. I think blogging has also allowed me to expand my writing skills. Overall, I have really enjoyed ILS 200. Logos, pathos, and ethos were new concepts to me, but I can see the value that they have for crafting an effective argument. I have also learned to see the available means of persuasion in each case. So once again, thank you and now I say goodbye!
Language cannot capture the enormity of experience
I have yet to come across any writer that has been able to successfully capture the enormity of experience. That is because it is impossible. Even the most brilliant writers are unable to fully describe and depict the enormity of an experience. There is nothing, not even the most sophisticated language, that can take the place of actually experiencing something. Countless times I have told a story about an experience only to see a blank expression on my listener’s face. “I guess you had to be there…” I would then say. I know for a fact that this doesn’t only happen to me, and is a result of the shortcomings of language.
If language could capture the enormity of experience, why would anyone go out and experience anything for themselves? We could just read about something and know what it is like to experience it. This is obviously not true. I have read stories about what it is like to experience sky diving and still I can’t quite grasp the emotions or the feelings involved. Also, I have had feelings and emotions that I could not quite express through language many times. There is simply not a way to fully express certain feelings without compromising some of the experience.
If language could capture the enormity of experience, why would anyone go out and experience anything for themselves? We could just read about something and know what it is like to experience it. This is obviously not true. I have read stories about what it is like to experience sky diving and still I can’t quite grasp the emotions or the feelings involved. Also, I have had feelings and emotions that I could not quite express through language many times. There is simply not a way to fully express certain feelings without compromising some of the experience.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Wrap Up
Overall I enjoyed ILS 200. At first I was very skeptical of the weekly blog posts because I had never blogged before. However, the inner quibbler in me came out, and I enjoyed writing my weekly rambles on this site. I have never had a class before on ethos, logos, pathos, and rhetoric before, and I think by studying these elements of language I have grown as a writer. I learned pathetic, ethical, and logical tropes and schemes that I can now utilize in my own writing and language, and I became aware of the use of fallacies in my and other people’s writings/arguments. I think that the blogs served as a great way to comfortably talk about issues, and I really feel that through my posts and the design of the blog my personality was captured. From discussion about the famous Wall Street quote, “Greed is Good” to ranting about the problems of America, my personality definitely came out in these posts. All that being said I am happy to take a break from the stress and work load of college life and I am ready for a vacation. Perhaps to be continued on another blog but for now I’M OUT……….PEACE!
Can Language Capture the Enormity of Experience?
“I guess you had to be there,” how many times has someone said this too you after telling you a story? When they told the story they were full of excitement and emotion, but for some reason it failed to capture and excite you as much as the storyteller. This is because language cannot capture the enormity of experience. Don’t get me wrong, there are many great storytellers that possess the ability to describe their experience to the reader exceptionally well. However, it never reaches the full meaning as it does to the writer. Language fails to capture in its entirety the complexity that is a personal experience. With a personal experience comes a complex firsthand belief and memory of what occurred. The firsthand experience is entirely unparallel to a person describing his or her experience. This is because each experience has a different meaning to someone else.
For example I am going to give you a short description about my grandfather’s life.
From the sound of the start gun in 1922 to his sprint through the finishing chute on September 23, 1998, Edward Leske lived a benevolent life. His continuous sacrifice, unparalleled hard work, and unselfish outlook in life spoiled his large family of ten until the day he died. As a tenderhearted man with a reserved personality, Edward led through example rather than his voice. I remember him taking care of my brothers and me one summer when my parents went to San Francisco. Edward enjoyed taking us to our baseball games and watching us play sports he never had time to play himself or watch his own children play due to long work hours. He would tell me before every baseball game I played, “Go hit a homer for me.” I never did hit him that homer, but it always made me feel as if I had played a great game anyway. I remember visiting his house and fighting over couch cushions with my brothers and cousins that filled the T.V. den. Grandpa just sat next to the couch in his special rocking chair, smoking his Swisher Sweet cigar. He kept the peace between me and my brothers occasionally taking a puff of his cigar and then returning to the packer game on the television. I can still picture my grandpa sitting in his special rocking chair with a faint smile on his face watching the packers and smoking a swisher sweet cigar.
Through this tangent I attempted to capture who my grandpa was and what he meant to me to you the reader. Although I am sure I failed to fully express my love for him, after reading this passage I am willing to bet that you can picture this man watching the football game in the T.V. den. However I doubt that you share the enormity that this experience means to me personally. So I guess I could say the words I guess you had to be there, but in reality you had to be in my shoes to capture the full experience of the situation.
In conclusion, language fails to capture the enormity of the experience. However, language serves as a vehicle through which people can share personal experiences, and although the enormity might not be fully conveyed to the reader, the reader gains a sense of the experience that hopefully he/she can remember in their own way.
For example I am going to give you a short description about my grandfather’s life.
From the sound of the start gun in 1922 to his sprint through the finishing chute on September 23, 1998, Edward Leske lived a benevolent life. His continuous sacrifice, unparalleled hard work, and unselfish outlook in life spoiled his large family of ten until the day he died. As a tenderhearted man with a reserved personality, Edward led through example rather than his voice. I remember him taking care of my brothers and me one summer when my parents went to San Francisco. Edward enjoyed taking us to our baseball games and watching us play sports he never had time to play himself or watch his own children play due to long work hours. He would tell me before every baseball game I played, “Go hit a homer for me.” I never did hit him that homer, but it always made me feel as if I had played a great game anyway. I remember visiting his house and fighting over couch cushions with my brothers and cousins that filled the T.V. den. Grandpa just sat next to the couch in his special rocking chair, smoking his Swisher Sweet cigar. He kept the peace between me and my brothers occasionally taking a puff of his cigar and then returning to the packer game on the television. I can still picture my grandpa sitting in his special rocking chair with a faint smile on his face watching the packers and smoking a swisher sweet cigar.
Through this tangent I attempted to capture who my grandpa was and what he meant to me to you the reader. Although I am sure I failed to fully express my love for him, after reading this passage I am willing to bet that you can picture this man watching the football game in the T.V. den. However I doubt that you share the enormity that this experience means to me personally. So I guess I could say the words I guess you had to be there, but in reality you had to be in my shoes to capture the full experience of the situation.
In conclusion, language fails to capture the enormity of the experience. However, language serves as a vehicle through which people can share personal experiences, and although the enormity might not be fully conveyed to the reader, the reader gains a sense of the experience that hopefully he/she can remember in their own way.
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