Blog 8 - Bryan Smith

In response to TIME's review of The Dark Knight Rises, I agree on many points the author brings up. For example, Corliss states that "the film’s allusions to the Patriot Act and the decadelong incarceration of terror suspects in Guantánamo are obvious". I also saw these allusions and I believe that they make the movie relevant to current social and global times which is a major reason why the film and its predecessors are held to such high esteem. In our group, we decided that visual media attempts to entertain the audience through many different ways such as humor, drama, and action. The Dark Knight Rises accomplishes this goal as agreed by Corliss who says it is "the best, most troubling, assured and enthralling"superhero movie. This source evaluates the movie based on the story and plot twists, acting, and its relevance to today's world. I agree that these criteria are essential to a good superhero movie because it keeps the audience entertained and involved in the movie even after the film is over. I especially believe that the characterization and the way to actors portray the character are important to the success of the movie. Bane, who Corliss describes as "an immense hulk with an air of courtly menace" serves as the embodiment of terrorism with his sadistic plot to destroy Gotham just because he can. The article comes to the conclusion that the character of Bane plays an integral part in the movie's greatness, which I agree with wholeheartedly. Bane provides a unique challenge to Batman's physicality and morality when he must abandon his city for a brief time and watch it suffer.

Blog 8- Annotated Bibliography Source

As I am writing my rough draft, I am starting to agree with points that are brought up by Ben Walters in his Guardian article discussing Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog. His was the first article I found that labeled Dr. Horrible as absurdist and therefore emblematic of other Joss Whedon (“Whedonesque”) series. Those referenced in the article include Angel and Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, but other works that fall into this category could range from its early modern archetypes: Albert Camus’s L’entranger or Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, to contemporary viral videos: Funnyordie.com’s The Landlord or Schmoyo’s Autotune the News. These works are largely experimental, employ humor, and character driven wherein the audience is meant realize a truth about human nature. This realization is often in the face of fantastic circumstances e.g. Will Ferrell trying to reason with a foul-mouthed, alcoholic toddler, but purveyance of this theme can often transcend its outer nonsense.

Ben Walters’ article is more of a discussion of the creation/creative elements of DHSAB, but what he deems worthy of note in his evaluation supports his categorization. Apart from the previously discussed genre bending (see blogs 6-7), Dr. Horrible caters to the absurd by making many of the titular character’s failures an extension of his internet use. For example, Dr. Horrible’s video blogs, his way of almost advertising his criminal activities, are monitored by the LAPD and Captain Hammer causing one of his schemes to fall through. More figuratively, the eponymous doctor cannot talk to his crush because he cannot “find the time to find the words”, an issue alleviated by the digital communication. Even his weapon of choice, his freeze ray, suffers from a need to buffer, an agony shared by online video watchers everywhere.

The article’s analysis brings up ideas that certainly add to Dr. Horrible’s pedigree, but I am going to stick with webseries as my genre for now. One can easily enjoy the show without delving into these added meanings, and DHSAB’s effect on online visual media is far more quantifiable than its effect on fellow absurdist media. Till next time!          

Blog 8- Ryan Kiefer: Response to source from annotated bibliography

I am here responding to a review of the Nightwish album Dark Passion Play. The Review is by Joshua Mackle and is hosted at Helium.com. For the most part I agree with his review and I certainly believe he evaluated the album in a fair and unbiased way. This album was a pivotal point in the history of the band, released after the first major break in the band with the replacement of the lead singer.

Because of this there are some major differences that needed addressing, primarily in the direct relationship of the two voice types, but also the feel of the music as a whole. First, the review touches on the vocal shift. It is plain that there is a major difference in the tonal qualities of the singers and that Tarja was much more powerful than Annette, but the review goes on to mention some of the highlights of Annette’s voice that allow it to stand out in a light of its own, particularly with the example of the final track, Meadows of Heaven. Here, the review says, her voice is just as powerful as Tarja’s, but sweeter and cleaner.

In response to the change in the bands encompassing nature, the review is a little skewed as it compares Dark Passion Play to albums that are several albums old. Nightwish is a dynamic band whose albums are all different and represent the change in sound produced by the band. The album before Dark Passion Play, Once, is most similar and the reviewer acknowledges this as he says that if the listener liked that album, they will like Dark Passion Play.

The major problem with this source is that it does not once mention symphonic metal but is more focused on comparing albums of Nightwish to each other and explaining features of Dark Passion Play and how they compare to previous sounds of Nightwish.

Blog 7 - Topic Consideration

At this point in time, I still have no idea what to write about for our third writing assignment.  I've been thinking about many different topics since the assignment was given, but have been procrastinating writing this blog because I do not even have a vague idea of what I would be interested in writing about.   I have considered many different television series, movies, and household services, but when faced with the challenge of writing about them, I have not been able to establish a decent topic.  Throughout this process, I have ruled out many popular titles such as: Burn Notice, Suits, American Chopper, Criminal Minds, Mythbusters, Sons of Guns, Pawn Stars, The Avengers, Taken one and two, and countless other movies and television shows.  As for services, Netflix stood out to me as a fairly decent topic, but I decided it was probably too common and would easily bore the audience.  With all of that being said, my main consideration for this assignment is the television series Gold Rush on Discovery Channel.  The show allows a glimpse into the life of a modern day gold miner.  I believe that some people may misunderstand this series as a production purely for viewer entertainment.   Although the purpose of any television show is to grab and hold the attention of viewers, this series has showed that the American dream is still alive and well.  A man can still risk it all for the hope of a better future.  When the series started, it followed a group of down-on-their-luck men who decided to leave everything in pursuit of gold in the Alaskan Klondike.  Their first season is full of mishaps and letdown, but the viewer is able to see this group of men grow together and eventually earn the title of Alaskan Gold Miners.  While Gold Rush is currently my most probable writing topic, that could still very well change in the near future.

blog 7

One genre I am considering writing about is the genre of MMORPG video games. This genre, standing for massive multiplayer online role playing game, includes games where players are able to log on and play with thousands of other people around the world and interact with them in many different ways. These games are very popular in today's culture with the most popular being World of Warcraft which has over 10 million monthly subscribers. I feel that often people misunderstand the genre because reviewers often do not pay attention to the social aspect of the game which I feel makes them very popular. Critics often only focus on game play and other interactions with the game's AI and scripted events. While this is an integral part of any video game, I feel the social aspect is of equal importance to whether a game is going to be popular or not. I feel that WoW is able to remain the most popular MMORPG of all time is due to its loyal community and the friendships that are built through the game or strengthened by it. One of the major reasons why I feel critics often miss this point is because they do not play the game, but instead look at it from the outside looking in. From this viewpoint they are unable to see the player interactions and the friendships developed. Objective viewers only see the game play and battles between computers and not other people and are unable to understand why the game has survived where others have failed.

WA3- Topic Consideration

For the final writing assignment, I have more or less decided that I will write about Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog. If you are regrettably among the uninitiated, I highly recommend checking out the three part miniseries either on Netflix or Youtube. It is a peculiar child of the 2008 writer's strike that was directed by Joss Whedon and starred Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, Felicia Day, and Simon Helberg.

Fitting this quirky internet gem into a genre, per the essay instructions, is probably going to be my greatest challenge. Something tells me I would not be honoring the spirit of the assignment if I looked at Dr. Horrible through the lens of other indie, tragicomedy, sci-fi ,superhero, musical romances with hints of mockumentary (or even western). Furthermore, evaluating it in more general terms either sells DHSAB short--I would not describe it as an effective sci-fi--or makes the genre to immense to pin down--please explain to me what makes up an indie. Hence, I am opting to assess DHSAB as a web series. I realize this is more of a medium than a genre, but given its relative novelty and Dr. Horrible's effect on it, this categorization will make for a better paper topic.

One could argue Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog revolutionized the web series industry. Its conception brought about a greater number of web series, its viewing has become an annual Comic Con event, and it received a Primetime Emmy award without being connected to a television show. This medium is just as legitimate as gaudy blockbusters, but allows entertainers to be free from corporate strings and stay well practiced in their craft. However, at the same time, Dr. Horrible may not be the best example of a web series. It is only three episodes long, has kept fans waiting for a second season that keeps being put off, and was accomplished through a Hollywood insider calling in a number of favors. Playing with this duality of cultural phenomenon versus tainted entertainment will be compelling to write about. Web series as genre could probably use this dialogue. 

Blog 7 Ryan Kiefer- Consideration of Topic for WA3

UPDATE
I don't know how I forgot the 'pop culture' aspect of this assignment, but now I obviously will not be discussing pianos. I will instead switch to the band Nightwish and its superb representation of the genre of metal, and more specifically symphonic metal. This band will need some explaining as they are not widely known; they are from Finland. Compare to Within Temptation and the more popular Evanescence. Nightwish is an excellent member of the genre of metal because it incorporates all the requirements of heavy guitar and bass, and impressive drum work, yet it goes one step further by including creative keyboard/piano work, and the later albums which I will be using in my evaluation bring in an entire orchestra and many other instruments. These albums are Once and Dark Passion Play, 2004 and 2007 releases respectively. There is a new album which came out this year, making them still an active band. While this may seem to go against the idea of metal, with Nightwish the extra instruments only add to the epic feeling of the music and the depth of the music is greatly increased. A pure metal band like Metallica will be examined as well for a comparison of a good band that has no symphonic aspects, and a bad symphonic metal band, perhaps a group like Leaves' Eyes or perhaps even earlier albums of Nightwish, will show how much better Dark Passion play and Once are.

 Here is the original post before the edit:

I am having trouble choosing what to write about for this assignment. I am caught between several items, so I will address each idea here to try to work through them and decide on the best one.

First, I have been considering evaluating Netflix as the best way to view movies and TV shows. This is the topic we studied in class in groups, and I provided much of the information. I think most people know about Netflix and how great it is, but I think an evaluation of all its features compared to other services would effectively show off its superiority.

Second,

No, I have realized what I will write about.

I was going to continue with Cameras or the music genre of metal and how the band Nightwish is an odd yet excellent member of said genre, but then I remembered the first topic that I thought of when this assignment was assigned.

I shall evaluate pianos. I definitely think this is an area that is highly misunderstood. Most people tend to know the differences between a grand piano and an upright piano, although most of them do not know why. Fewer still know differences between grand pianos concerning brand, size, material, etc… There is so much material available for discussion in this field. Most evaluations of pianos concern the quality of sound or the price, or more elementary analysis, as in the case of the type of piano.

I will evaluate several similar pianos to declare on superior to the others, and effectively calling it the best piano. This evaluation will, therefore, be mostly subjective, and I will have to find sources that support my findings and add to my ethos. I plan on going to a couple piano stores to question experts and play various pianos, which should help as well.

Blog 6 - WA2 Reflection

Overall, I enjoyed the second writing assignment much more than I did the first one. It was very nice being able to pick our own topic and attempt to persuade the reader into agreeing with our proposed solution to the problem we were discussing.  Many of the in-class assignments had helped me in drafting my essay, but trying to prove the main opposing viewpoint to a neighbor was by far the most helpful.  As difficult as it was to argue against your own beliefs, it had helped open my eyes to many of the more prominent arguments against my topic. Some challenges I struggled with was producing an essay that was satisfactory to my own expectations.  By writing about a topic and proposing a solution to something I personally deem a problem, it made me much more critical of my own paper, as I wanted to create a bulletproof stand on the problem.  Other things I struggled with was proper phrasing of my sentences to deliver the most persuasive tone to my paper and deciding which factual information to use to back up my claim.  There were many situations in which I chose to use a less-scholarly phrase than one I had initially written to produce a different tone, which I hope to have been the correct decision.  When it came to choosing statistics and facts in my essay, I had a hard time making a decision on what and where to include it.  My topic of campus gun rights is a subject that has just recently blown up, but still has significant amounts of empirical evidence to back up my claim, making it hard to choose just a few hard-hitting facts to include in my paper.  In the end, I definitely had a much more enjoyable time writing the second assignment. 

Blog 6 - Reflection

I found that the most enjoyable part of this assignment was becoming more educated on the subject I was writing about. I also found it interesting to see the opposition’s viewpoint and be able to understand why they think the way they do. I also found it to be an easier assignment than the first one because I was able to express my opinion more than in the first one which was mainly evaluation. I think the most helpful assignment was the peer review since it gave me insight as to how other people were writing their essays and how I should improve mine. In addition, the edits done to my paper by others also helped my essay become clearer in its focus. I also felt the annotated bibliography helped a lot with the incorporation of subjects because I did not have to keep re-reading every source to figure out why I chose it again and where I originally wanted to incorporate it in my paper. Having my mental notes already written down made it much easier to use quotes from sources to enhance my paper. I also feel that the introduction to the ASU online database to gather sources for our topics was extremely helpful at finding credible articles rather than using Google search and having to sort through hundreds of entries. I felt that I struggled with was trying to convince others that my issue was a major problem that I felt it was. I think I could have done a better job of conveying the significance of my issue to others who may have not felt that it was an issue. For future classes, I suggest having a day in class after everyone has chosen their topics to work on their annotated bibliography with the instructor to make sure citations were correct and their annotations are adequate.

Conner- WA2 reflection

For Writing Assignment Two, I proposed changes for the ASU Academic Bowl. I enjoyed dealing with a subject that I was passionate about. It eventually made the paper a breeze to write, and I think it made me a feel like a stronger part of the ASU Quiz Bowl community. My original interactions with a number of my sources had been relatively perfunctory, but now that we have engaged in email conversations regarding something other than when competitions were taking place, they have become compelling people worth mingling with rather than hostile vesicles of trivia. I realize something more academic would be a better thing to take away from a writing assignment, but as I tend to get lonely, these newfound compatriots will probably leave the longest lasting impact upon me.

                As the culmination of the English class’s second unit, the paper fulfilled its function. It provided legitimacy for practicing many useful skills: research techniques, persuasion, peer editing, and balancing counter arguments. In particular that last one was challenging not only because my project did not lend itself to having a complete opposing argument but I was not used to dealing with counter arguments in a persuasive format. In general I tend to play up the straw man as opposed to tackling divergent forces in a paper, but in the end I realized that this was not the most important part of my paper. The balancing act of showing all sides of an issue is not meant to detract from the primary idea one is trying to purport. There are so many better things to focus on in writing a paper.

                I was somewhat peeved by the peer editing process as I was not sure if it was effective. It certainly made revision much simpler, as all I had to do was look at troubling spots that other had pointed out; however, the recommendations were all coupled with the question of their authority in this subject. I think I prefer the conferences. The buck kind of stops there.

Blog 6 Ryan Kiefer- Reflection on WA2

This writing assignment was far better than writing assignment one for multiple reasons. First, I was used to the class and the style that was needed. It is always easier to write when I’m aware of what format or style I am supposed to use. Also, this was a persuasive essay, which was the most common type of essay for me to write last year in high school, again making it easier for me.  Another great thing about this essay was that we got to choose the topic. With the Analysis of Romney or Obama’s Rhetoric, the choice and creativity was pretty narrow and everything had to be super technical. I really enjoyed how much more open this paper was, and I was passionate about what I was writing about, which also seemed to make this paper easier and faster to write. That was certainly my favorite part.  However, that also meant I had to deal with a bias, which I did find hard to keep down. I believe I succeeded though, and I produced an essay without blatant bias (It had to have some bias otherwise it would be an analysis of the issue, not an argument). I certainly believe it is better than my first assignment, so I’m hoping I will get a pretty good grade.

Another major difference that made Writing Assignment two better was the timeline. With the first assignment I was still getting used to college and it was never really clear when the assignment started. With this one I had a clear definition of the beginning and the due date so I was able to manage my time better which was remarkably helpful with stress management and allowed me to craft a better essay while simultaneously doing better in my other classes as well. Another thing that helped this was the in class work day where we got to work on our rough drafts and finding sources. Working in class reduced distractions as I wasn’t allowed to do anything except work on the English paper. That meant I was able to find all my sources and write almost my whole draft in class. It was fantastic. I also really appreciated the peer review, except one of my reviewers didn’t do the assignment so I had one fewer. 

Overall, I have to say that this assignment was exceptionally better than the first one.
Next time, the only thing I would suggest is more feedback on these posts, but I completely understand that you are very busy. Good Luck!