Friday, August 29, 2003
Analyzing "Damn the Media" by Rachel Lucas
In this blog I will be analyzing the language and style of Rachel Lucas’ blog entitled “Damn the Media”. It is featured on her website www.rachellucas.com. In the article, Lucas criticizes the media for deciding not to do any special programming for the second anniversary of 9/11 because of the upcoming elections. She argues that they don’t want to influence the elections by showing footage of 9/11, and she expresses her belief that this is appalling. She has a very upfront and informal style of arguing that also incorporates her emotions and humor quite effectively.
Lucas’ style is very aggressive. She begins her article with “What in the hell is wrong with people?” This is a very effective way to begin because it grabs the attention of its readers and makes them keep reading. After making the statement she begins to explain herself. She quotes an article from the NY Post that states that none of the major broadcasting channels will be airing any special programming for the second anniversary of 9/11 because of the upcoming elections. Now she has made it clear what her article is actually about. She has also made it clear exactly where she stands on this issue.
Her style of writing is very informal. She writes as if she were speaking. She has no formal structure to her writing. One paragraph of her writing is simply “I don't get it. I don't get it. I. Do. Not. Get. It”. This paragraph would never appear in a formal essay, but in her article it is very effective. It is easy to imagine Lucas’ becoming very emotional about this subject and venting about the appalling behavior of the media. Also, she is not afraid to use curse words and sentence fragments in her article. In doing so she makes a connection with the reader. The reader feels like he or she is actually listening to Lucas speak instead of reading a polished essay that she mulled over for hours and revised several times.
She uses humor and emotions effectively to support her argument. Her style of writing almost makes you smile because it is so blunt and aggressive. It is entertaining when she goes off on a person or organization. At the same time there is a serious side to the essay. She obviously cares about this issue and wishes to tell people how she feels. She talks about the aftermath of the attacks and the unfurling of the flag over the pentagon and how “that moment made [her] feel like everything would be okay again. [She doesn’t] know why, it just did”. The ability to express her emotions so vividly to her readers makes her arguments more valid.
Lucas’ style and language in her writing is very effective. It is unpolished and aggressive. She makes no attempt to write a formal essay, and the added humor and emotion make her arguments more effective. The one criticism I have of Lucas’ blog is its apparent one-sidedness. She never takes the time to address how the media conglomerates might justify not airing any special programming for 9/11. If she did this she could debase their arguments further by proving their falsities. On the whole, though, I believe “Damn the Media” is a very effective argument against the actions of the media concerning an important event in our nation’s history.
Lucas’ style is very aggressive. She begins her article with “What in the hell is wrong with people?” This is a very effective way to begin because it grabs the attention of its readers and makes them keep reading. After making the statement she begins to explain herself. She quotes an article from the NY Post that states that none of the major broadcasting channels will be airing any special programming for the second anniversary of 9/11 because of the upcoming elections. Now she has made it clear what her article is actually about. She has also made it clear exactly where she stands on this issue.
Her style of writing is very informal. She writes as if she were speaking. She has no formal structure to her writing. One paragraph of her writing is simply “I don't get it. I don't get it. I. Do. Not. Get. It”. This paragraph would never appear in a formal essay, but in her article it is very effective. It is easy to imagine Lucas’ becoming very emotional about this subject and venting about the appalling behavior of the media. Also, she is not afraid to use curse words and sentence fragments in her article. In doing so she makes a connection with the reader. The reader feels like he or she is actually listening to Lucas speak instead of reading a polished essay that she mulled over for hours and revised several times.
She uses humor and emotions effectively to support her argument. Her style of writing almost makes you smile because it is so blunt and aggressive. It is entertaining when she goes off on a person or organization. At the same time there is a serious side to the essay. She obviously cares about this issue and wishes to tell people how she feels. She talks about the aftermath of the attacks and the unfurling of the flag over the pentagon and how “that moment made [her] feel like everything would be okay again. [She doesn’t] know why, it just did”. The ability to express her emotions so vividly to her readers makes her arguments more valid.
Lucas’ style and language in her writing is very effective. It is unpolished and aggressive. She makes no attempt to write a formal essay, and the added humor and emotion make her arguments more effective. The one criticism I have of Lucas’ blog is its apparent one-sidedness. She never takes the time to address how the media conglomerates might justify not airing any special programming for 9/11. If she did this she could debase their arguments further by proving their falsities. On the whole, though, I believe “Damn the Media” is a very effective argument against the actions of the media concerning an important event in our nation’s history.
Thursday, August 21, 2003
Introduction
Hello and welcome to my new Blog. My name is Andrew Marshall. My hometown is right here in Atlanta, Georgia, about five miles away near Emory University. I have lived there all of my life. Now I live on West Campus in Montag Hall. My roommate is named Derek Constantine and he is also taking this class but at a different time. I have known him since the 6th Grade. Both of us went to the Paideia School from 1st grade until 12th. Paideia is a small private school off of Ponce de Leon Ave.
In my family, I am the youngest of 3. I have an older brother named Taylor and an older sister named Laura. Taylor is 21, Laura is 24, and I am 18. My mother, Georgia, is a Pre-K teacher at Montgomery Elementary. My father, Robert, was a lawyer for 25 years, but he quit many years ago and started a software company called Notation, Inc. My sister used to work for Random House Publishing in New York City, but now she teaches English and Latin at the Donellan School in Atlanta. My brother is currently enrolled at Georgia College & State University. While in high school I worked at a butcher shop, a bicycle shop, a law firm, and I started my own business.
I am looking forward to my first year at Georgia Tech, and I hope that I am here for my second year of Georgia Tech. We will see.
In my family, I am the youngest of 3. I have an older brother named Taylor and an older sister named Laura. Taylor is 21, Laura is 24, and I am 18. My mother, Georgia, is a Pre-K teacher at Montgomery Elementary. My father, Robert, was a lawyer for 25 years, but he quit many years ago and started a software company called Notation, Inc. My sister used to work for Random House Publishing in New York City, but now she teaches English and Latin at the Donellan School in Atlanta. My brother is currently enrolled at Georgia College & State University. While in high school I worked at a butcher shop, a bicycle shop, a law firm, and I started my own business.
I am looking forward to my first year at Georgia Tech, and I hope that I am here for my second year of Georgia Tech. We will see.
